Day of the Dead, celebrated November 1-2, is one of the oldest traditions in Mexico and a beloved holiday in which the community commemorates the deceased with offerings, altars and more.
Often associated with sugar skulls, graveyard visits and colorful altars, people are believed to return from the dead to be with their loved ones and celebrate the afterlife on these dates.
As tradition goes, altars are placed in family homes or cemeteries and are decorated with orange Cempasúchil flowers known as las flores de los muertos (the flowers of the dead). A photo of the deceased loved one, their belongings, food (such as pan de muerto and buñuelos) and a cup of water – signifying purity – are also placed on the altar.
In honor of the Day of the Dead, Spotify has curated the ultimate playlist, featuring more than 100 songs fit for the Mexican holiday.
One of the most iconic tracks on the playlist is Ángela Aguilar's melancholic rendition of “La Llorona.” The popular Mexican folk song has been around since the 1940s and sheds light on the urban legend of a grieving woman who drowned her children in a river as revenge against her unfaithful husband and later, as a spirit, walked the banks of the river, weeping and she is looking for her children.
Other Día de los Muertos-themed songs on the six-hour-plus playlist include Julieta Venega's “Mis Muertos,” Carlos Rivera's “Recuerdame,” Los Angeles Negros' “Murió La Flor,” “Calaveras y Diablitos” by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. La Santa Cecilia's “Calaverita” and Humbe's viral “fanstasmas”, to name a few.
Listen to it below:
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/day-of-the-dead-playlist-listen-9476316/