The Day of the Dead, celebrated on the first two days of November, is a time when Mexican families remember and honor their ancestors. Families gather in cemeteries to clean and decorate gravesites, eat and drink, and tell stories about the departed — just like a family reunion. In their homes, people set up ofrendas, or altars, dedicated to the spirits of their loved ones and covered with symbolic objects and some of their ancestors' favorite food and drink. Friendly images — like a skeleton playing guitar — make death seem more approachable.