Dia de los Muertos is a three-day Mexican holiday that celebrates deceased family members. It originated from indigenous Aztec beliefs that the dead would return annually to visit the living. When the Spanish arrived, it was combined with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day on November 1st and 2nd. Families honor the dead by building altars with their photos and favorite foods and visiting their gravesites. Bright decorations and skulls symbolize that death should not be feared but celebrated. It is a festive remembrance of lost loved ones, similar in spirit to Memorial Day in the United States.