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Mexico's skeleton parade celebrates the dead

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image captionHundreds of people dressed up as skeletons to take part in a parade celebrating the dead. They were surrounded by marigolds, a flower which is thought to guide the spirit of the dead with its vivid colours and scent.
image copyrightAFP
image captionMake-up artists were on hand all day to make participants look like La Catrina, the name given to an elegant skeletal figure popular in Mexican culture.
image copyrightAFP
image captionThe event, held in the run-up to the Day of the Dead celebrations on 1 and 2 November, is aimed at all ages and whole families dressed up to take part in the parade.
image copyrightAFP
image captionWhile La Catrina is a female figure, there were also plenty of catrines, La Catrina's male equivalent, on parade.
image copyrightAFP
image captionCouples proved romance is not dead in the afterlife. Day of the Dead parades were not held on a big scale in the capital until they were popularised by the James Bond film Spectre last year.
image copyrightAFP
image captionSince then, Mexicans have taken to it with gusto, even getting out their wedding dresses to get the perfect Catrina look.
image copyrightAFP
image captionElegance is key to being a good Catrina.
image copyrightAFP
image captionBeards are as trendy in the afterlife as they are among the living hipsters.

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