Google celebrates Day of the Dead with colourful skull-themed doodle
Google has marked Day of the Dead, or El Día de los Muertos, with a colourful skull-themed doodle.
Day of the Dead is a holiday observed in cities and towns throughout Mexico, which dates back thousands of years. Per National Geographic, the purpose is "to demonstrate love and respect for deceased family members." To observe the holiday, "revellers don funky makeup and costumes, hold parades and parties, sing and dance, and make offerings to lost loved ones."
In a blogpost explaining the doodle, Google described some of the ways families observe the tradition.
"Families prepare for the celebration far in advance, cleaning the house and decorating it with fragrant marigold flowers and intricate tissue-paper cutouts," reads the blog. "Playful calacas and calaveras (skeletons and skulls), are usually seen in festive attire, enjoying (after)life to the fullest."
"Colourful ofrendas or altars are set up in many homes, surrounded by favourite food and drink, as well as photographs and cherished mementos, plus sweet Pan de Muertos and sugar skulls," the blog continues.
"Burning candles and incense is also customary to set the mood, evoke the spirit world, and serve as a reminder that death is just another part of life and that human connections will always endure."
Today's doodle has its own colourful "ofrenda" created using clay by artist Nate Swinehart.
Topics Google
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
