It’s that time of year when live action overtakes the normally quiet grounds of local graveyards.

In recent days, families have started to appear there to spruce up burial plots and prepare terrain for gatherings held in remembrance of the dearly departed. After pulling up weeds, patching up crypts and reviving ornamental plantings around the tombstones, they will add traditional Day of the Dead decorative touches.

November 1, Dia de Todos los Santos (All Saints Day) is devoted to remembering Angelitos — the innocent “little angels” who died in infancy. Their living relatives prepare for the occasion by dressing up their graves with handmade memorial coronas (wreaths) and cruces (crosses), commonly embellished with artificial flowers and religious images such as a guardian angel hovering over a young child or El Niño de Atocha, the revered representation of Jesus as a child pilgrim. Infant gravesites are frequently adorned with crepe paper streamers wrapped around bamboo arches or fences, balloons, an offering of sweet goodies and the indispensible votive candles.

Please login or subscribe to view the complete article.