<P> José Guadalupe Posada created a famous print of a figure he called La Calavera Catrina ("The Elegant Skull") as a parody of a Mexican upper - class female . Posada's striking image of a costumed female with a skeleton face has become associated with the Day of the Dead, and Catrina figures often are a prominent part of modern Day of the Dead observances . </P> <P> A common symbol of the holiday is the skull (in Spanish calavera), which celebrants represent in masks, called calacas (colloquial term for skeleton), and foods such as sugar or chocolate skulls, which are inscribed with the name of the recipient on the forehead . Sugar skulls can be given as gifts to both the living and the dead . Other holiday foods include pan de muerto, a sweet egg bread made in various shapes from plain rounds to skulls and rabbits, often decorated with white frosting to look like twisted bones . </P> <P> The traditions and activities that take place in celebration of the Day of the Dead are not universal, often varying from town to town . For example, in the town of Pátzcuaro on the Lago de Pátzcuaro in Michoacán, the tradition is very different if the deceased is a child rather than an adult . On November 1 of the year after a child's death, the godparents set a table in the parents' home with sweets, fruits, pan de muerto, a cross, a rosary (used to ask the Virgin Mary to pray for them) and candles . This is meant to celebrate the child's life, in respect and appreciation for the parents . There is also dancing with colorful costumes, often with skull - shaped masks and devil masks in the plaza or garden of the town . At midnight on November 2, the people light candles and ride winged boats called mariposas (butterflies) to Janitzio, an island in the middle of the lake where there is a cemetery, to honor and celebrate the lives of the dead there . </P> <P> In contrast, the town of Ocotepec, north of Cuernavaca in the State of Morelos, opens its doors to visitors in exchange for veladoras (small wax candles) to show respect for the recently deceased . In return the visitors receive tamales and atole . This is done only by the owners of the house where someone in the household has died in the previous year . Many people of the surrounding areas arrive early to eat for free and enjoy the elaborate altars set up to receive the visitors . </P>

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