Just like Halloween, the Mexican celebration known as the Day of the Dead is growing in popularity in Australia.
Embracing death as a part of life is at the heart of the two day celebration, called Dia de los Muertos in Mexico, which takes place on November 1 and 2 each year.
Day of the Dead dates back thousands of years to when the indigenous cultures in Mexico celebrated the deaths of their ancestors.
In homes across the country, shrines are created featuring photos of those who have died next to candles, marigold flowers, skulls made of sugar and various offerings to the departed.
It is a time when the souls of the dead follow the fragrant trail of the marigold petals and return to earth to spend time with their relatives.
Mexican Social and Cultural Association members Paty Galan and Sandra Maye dressed in Day of the Dead costumes. Source: SBS News
Paty Galan from the Mexican Social and Cultural Association told SBS News children were honoured on November 1.
"We celebrate the children that passed away for whatever reason so the altar in that case includes toys and all the objects that the kid loved in life and then on November 2 that's when we celebrate the adults and it's a big, big celebration where people go to cemeteries, we have live music, it's all about preparing food for them," she said.
"It's a joyful day because that's when they come back to spend time with us, even though we can't see them we can feel them."
During the Day of the Dead, children enjoy treats such as candied pumpkins and the 'bread of the dead' - a sweet bread in the shape of a skull.
Mexican Social and Cultural Association president, Sandra Maye, told SBS this custom and the focus on the afterlife sometimes saw it confused with Halloween.
"Halloween comes from a pagan tradition and Day of the Dead comes from a mix of Aztec and Hispanic cultures and Catholicism," she said.
"So, as long as we differentiate that and people understand the true meaning of both traditions, it's fine to celebrate them both."
Ms Maye said increased Mexican migration to Australia had fuelled a growing interest in Latin American culture among the wider community.
Day of the Dead decorations. (SBS News) Source: SBS News
"It's a sort of exotic culture for the Australians and they've embraced it, the Day of the Dead, as one of the very creative and joyful ways to see that process of the dead," she said.
"I still find families everywhere and restaurants doing a celebration but at the association we're trying to keep the tradition as true as possible so we try to embrace it the way it's celebrated in Mexico."
Businesses have been cashing on Day of the Dead.
Zoe Stewart is the owner of a costume store in Melbourne.
She told SBS interest was growing in both Halloween and the traditional Mexican celebration.
"Day of the Dead is really big, it just keeps getting bigger and bigger, the skull masks are really popular, so is the make up so we do make up tutorials for people if they want to do sugar skull make up," she said.
"It's just a big way that people can dress up as skeletons."
Major retailers like Coles are making money from lollies and pumpkins.
Martine Alpins from the supermarket chain said confectionery sales were expected to be 50 per cent higher than last year.
She put that down to Australians who love to party.
"Halloween has really been an event that they've really loved to get involved in," she said.
American expats have noticed more interest in Halloween.
The American Women's Association, which raises funds for Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital, has teamed up with some retailers to stage a Halloween fundraiser in the bayside suburb of Hampton.
President Masoomeh Wake said it made sense to use Halloween to support its annual fundraising, which hopes to make $25,000 for the hospital.
"The reason that we turned it into a fundraising was because of the traction in Australia," she said.
"We just realised more and more people, more and more kids are getting into it.
"They dress up, they like dressing up and that's part of the reasons we set up the Halloween and gradually over the years the number of people that attend our events has been growing and partly is the awareness in Australia for Halloween."
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