Dia De Los Muertos Party Ideas

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Celebrate Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with these colorful & festive Dia De Los Muertos Party Ideas.

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday where friends and family gather together to celebrate and remember their deceased loved ones (did you watch Coco???). It is a colorful and joyful celebration that honors the dead through cultural traditions including making altars, sugar skulls, favorite foods, and decorating graves. It is not scary, nor is it part of Halloween; it is a spiritual celebration to respect and show appreciation of the dead.

For three days, families honor their departed loved ones. The traditions, events, and activities that take place in for the Day of the Dead are not always universal, but they tend to have quite a lot of similarities. Families visit cemeteries to be with the souls of the departed and build private altars which may contain orange marigolds, some favorite foods, photos, and memorabilia of the deceased. The aim is to encourage visits by the departed, so that they may hear messages from the living. Celebrations may be serious or become humorous as people reminisce.

Some believe that possessing Day of the Dead items can bring good luck, so make a craft or festive food to share, especially a sugar skull. They are believed to characterize the personality of the deceased.

If your family already takes part in this yearly celebration, or if you just want to start a new tradition, this list of ideas will help you observe this holiday. The common symbol is a skull so you’ll see plenty of skulls in this list. I have gathered over 30 crafts, food, and party ideas for you to explore this celebration of life with this Dia de los Muertos round up.

Dia De Los Muertos Food Ideas

Day of the Dead Cupcakes
Day of the Dead Sugar Skulls
Mini Confetti Cakes
Day of the Dead Cookies
Skull Sandwich Art
Skull Pizzas
Candied Pumpkin
Vegan Day of the Dead Bread
Mexican Spiced Hot Chocolate

Dia De Los Muertos Party Ideas

Tin Painting for Kids
Day of the Dead Mask Printable
Day of the Dead Paper Puppet
Popsicle Stick Calaveras
Sugar Skull Sun catcher
Day of the Dead Candle Magnets {& video}
Coloring Sheets
Children’s Books for Day of the Dead
Pearmama Tutorial for Sugar Skull Makeup for Kids
Skull Face Paint Tutorial
Sugar Skull Halloween Costume
Day of the Dead Flower Headbands
More Party Ideas

Dia De Los Muertos Party Decorations

Spoons a la Dia de los Muertos
DIY Altar
Dia de los Muertos Carved Pumpkin
DIY Banner
Day of the Dead Party Ideas
Sugar Skull Mask Garland
Day of the Dead Skull Centerpiece
Calavera Art
Kid Friendly Lanterns
Skull Piñata

And a bonus link:

Curious about Day of the Dead? Check out this post from Spanglish Baby: How we teach our kids about Dia de los Muertos. I love what Becky writes- Understanding the reasons behind different celebrations helps to promote cultural awareness and eliminates negative attitudes or prejudices.

Looking to add some party favors to your celebration? Check out my post about Party Favors on a Budget to help you stay focused and save some money when planning your favors.