Cardboard skeletons dance, colorful floats roll: People in makeup and costumes celebrate Día de Muertos in Mexico City.

Around 1.5 million people participated in a colorful Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, according to the city government. The ninth annual parade featured cardboard skeletons, approximately 8,000 costumed performers, and carnival-themed floats.

The Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) is celebrated on the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. On November 1st and 2nd, the deceased are remembered in predominantly Christian countries. In Mexico, according to indigenous traditions, the souls of family members return from the afterlife to visit on these days. For this purpose, altars are set up and decorated in homes and apartments. UNESCO added the custom to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.

The parade in Mexico City, however, is a modern tradition that only originated in 2016. It stems from a scene in the James Bond film "Spectre" (2015). In the film, lead actor Daniel Craig, wearing a mask and costume, walks through a Day of the Dead procession in Mexico City—a parade that never actually existed. The Ministry of Tourism liked the idea, however, and created a corresponding parade, initially as a tourist attraction.