• Day of the Dead celebration in Peru

    Rodrigo Abd / AP

    Artists perform an indigenous dance called Huaylia at the Virgen de Lourdes cemetery where relatives converge to honor friends and family who have passed, marking the Day of the Dead holiday, in Lima, Peru, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012. The holiday honors the deceased on Nov. 1, coinciding with All Saints Day and All Souls' Day on Nov. 2.

    Rodrigo Abd / AP

    People gather around the graves of their loved ones at the Virgen de Lourdes cemetery on Nov. 1, 2012.

    Rodrigo Abd / AP

    A couple arrange a bouquet of flowers to place on a grave at the Virgen de Lourdes cemetery where relatives converge to honor friends and family who have passed.

    Rodrigo Abd / AP

    Taxi driver Guillermo Lecaros converts his car into a makeshift flower shop during the Day of the Dead holiday and stations himself outside the Virgen de Lourdes cemetery, where relatives converge to honor friends and family who have passed.

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  • Celebrations for Day of the Skulls in Bolivia

    David Mercado / Reuters

    A Bolivian woman holds skulls as she attends a Catholic mass during the Day of Skulls at the General Cemetery in La Paz on Nov. 8, 2011.

    By Natalia Jimenez, NBC News

    I am always fascinated by how indigenous beliefs and customs merged with Catholic traditions once the Spanish arrived in South America. In Bolivia, this has resulted in the celebration of "Dia de los Natitas," or day of the skulls, when indigenous Catholic Bolivians honor their skull. They believe the skulls, which are usually kept inside homes and given names, offer them protection and fortune throughout the year. On this day, the skulls are dressed up, taken to the cemetery and celebrated so that they will continue to provide protection in the coming year. According to the BBC, the skulls do not necessarily belong to relatives or loved-ones, and their names do not correspond to that of the original person's.

    For more images from similar celebrations see our tag stream on the Day of the Dead.

    David Mercado / Reuters

    The skull of a woman called Arminda is displayed during the Day of Skulls at the General Cemetery in La Paz on Nov. 8, 2011. Bolivians head to the cemetery chapel once a year to have the craniums of their relatives blessed and to bring themselves good luck in the future.

  • Day of the Dead marked in El Salvador, Peru and Guatemala

    Oscar Rivera / AFP - Getty Images

    Young revellers take part in a parade called "La Calabiuza" in Tonacatepeque, near San Salvador, El Salvador, on November 1. During the celebration, the residents of Tonacatepeque, originally an indigeneus community, recall the characters of the mithology of Cuzcatlan --pre-Columbian west and central regions of El Salvador -- and their dead relatives.

    Ernesto Benavides / AFP - Getty Images

    Musicians and a balloon vendor walk in the Nueva Esperanza cemetery -- one of the biggest in Latin America -- during All Saints' Day celebrations on the outskirts of Villa Maria del Triunfo, southern Lima, Peru, on November 1.

    Rodrigo Abd / AP

    A boy flies a kite in the cemetery on Day of the Dead in Zunil, Guatemala, on November 1. Because Mayans believe the dead are allowed to visit their families on earth for one day, family members fly kites to guide their departed relatives to their earthly homes.

    See more PhotoBlog posts about All Saints' Day, which coincides with the Day of the Dead.

  • Latin Americans honor dead on All Saints' Day

    Previous PhotoBlog posts from All Saints' Day.

    Karel Navarro / AP

    A man cleans a tombstone at the Nueva Esperanza cemetery in the shantytown of Villa Maria del Triunfo in Lima, Peru, Tuesday Nov. 1. A tradition that coincides with All Saints Day and All Souls Day on Nov. 1 and 2., the ritual of cleaning and decorating graves with flowers is common throughout Latin America, as is having a picnic at the departed relative's grave site.

     

    Ramon Espinosa / AP

    A woman takes part in a Voodoo ritual during Day of the Dead celebrations at the Cite Soleil cemetery in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday Nov. 1, 2011

    Marco Ugarte / AP

    A man rests at the grave site of a departed loved one at the San Gregorio cemetery during the Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead holiday on the outskirts of Mexico City, Tuesday Nov. 1. A tradition that coincides with All Saints Day and All Souls Day on Nov. 1 and 2., families take picnics to the cemeteries and decorate the graves of departed relatives with marigolds, candles and sugar skulls. It is believed that the lit candles and the scent of the marigolds guide wandering souls back to their waiting families.