By David Bolton

As many celebrate Halloween, and many others honor Dia de los Muertos, I was interested in how these two annual events might have played out during the times of our Missions and Presidios.

First, what exactly is behind these festive days?

Allhallowtide is a three-day celebration and includes Halloween, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day. It runs annually from October 31 to November 2. Allhallowtide is a time to remember the dead, whether saints, martyrs, or others. These western celebrations and observances date to the 700 hundreds.

October 31 is Halloween, or All Hallows Eve (Hallowe'en). It began as a vigil the evening before All Saints’ Day or All Hallows, which is celebrated on November 1.

November 2, the final day of the three-day Allhallowtide, is All Souls Day, the same day as Dia de los Muertos.

Whether All Souls Day or Dia de los Muertos, November 2 honors all faithful departed.

According to historian Robert Jackson, "Allhallowtide is a part of the Catholic liturgical calendar, and it would have been celebrated in the missions with special masses."

In today’s world, people throughout Mexico, and growingly in the U.S., celebrate the commercial U.S. version of Halloween, as well as Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which Mr. Jackson says is ironic, "because the European roots of the Day of the Dead and Halloween are the same. There are also pre Hispanic roots to the Day of the Dead, but the European innovation was the selection of specific dates."

Although several historic sites in California have public events around Dia de los Muertos, the holiday, according to Mr. Jackson, is traditionally a private event. "For example, a man I know in Xochimilco spends the night and eats in the cemetery. Others visit the cemetery during the day. In Tlayacapan, a local band plays a musical offering to the dead in the municipal cemetery. The Nahuas of the Huasteca dance to welcome the returning dead, but there is a an element of gender reversal: men dress as women and vice versa, and they wear masks, to confuse death. The practice in the Huasteca is known as Xantolo, and is a more traditional celebration among Náhuatl speakers in the region."

Dia de los Muertos in cemeteries usually begins with the cleaning of the tombs as a prelude to their decoration in anticipation of the arrival of the dead, said Mr. Jackson. “There are certainly regional variations in practices," he said. "In some areas, candy or chocolate skulls are the items offered to the dead. The decoration of altars is a key part of the celebration.”

At the heart of the cemetery visit, Mr. Jackson says, is "spending time, awaiting the arrival of the dead who return to the land of the living."

David Bolton is the executive director of the California Missions Foundation.