Day of the Dead returns to Salinas Valley.

One of Mexico’s quintessential festivities is back today, Monday, Nov. 2. The feast that honors those who have departed has been gaining ground in popularity every year in the Salinas Valley and Monterey County—or, for that matter, all over the U.S. , especially where there are large Latino populations.

Still, the holiday is going beyond Latinos and creeping into the mainstream English-language communities.

Some years ago, that might have seemed strange, says author Charles A. Coulombe, a historian and writer from Los Angeles, currently based in Austria. He says that though Dia de los Muertos, its Spanish name, may include some indigenous Mexican celebrations, the feast mostly comes from Catholic traditions, which is why it shares many similarities with Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, which is its traditional Catholic name.

Coulombe says that mostly all cultures across the world have some traditions to honor their dead. He points to Memorial Day as an example of the American remembrance akin to Dia de los Muertos.

Today, many Mexican and Latino families in the Valley and county will celebrate the Day of the Dead by visiting loved ones at the cemetery, going to church to pray for their souls or by taking part in the many local events, including dancing and getting together.