The Day of the Dead is celebrated each year in Mexico in early November. A ritual that predates the Spanish conquest (some say by at least 3000 years), the Day of the Dead honors and remembers those who have gone before us. Traditions include private altars honoring the dead, gifits at the gravesides, marigolds, and celebrations. The Catrina figure, now emblematic of the Day of the Dead, is an image created in 1913 "by Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada.... The word catrina is the feminine form of the word catrín, which means 'elegant'. The figure, depicted in an ornate hat fashionable at the time, is intended to show that the rich and fashionable, despite their pretensions to importance, are just as susceptible to death as anyone else." (from Wikipedia.)