Eight years ago on a Caribbean cruise, we docked in Mexico. I was puzzled by the skeleton figurines that seemed to be in every shop window. That’s when the Day of the Dead Festival was explained to me.
Dia de Muertos is a November holiday where family and friends gather to pray for and remember those who have died and help support their spiritual journey. Some people mark the day by visiting cemeteries and building private altars where favourite food and drink, photos and memorabilia are left in remembrance.
This year I joined the Day of the Dead Festival at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Nearly every person I photographed had some connection to Mexico and it was clearly special and important to them to be marking the day.
Here are a selection of images from the night:
All image: ©Katie Collins for EMPICS