It's Dia de los Muertos, and it is more a Mexican celebration than anything else. I'm not too sure how different it is from Halloween (the candies and such might be the main difference), but it's not the same date.

I can't remember much about the holidays right now, but I know it started with the Celts - the last day of the old Celtic calender. On the introduction of Christianity it was taken over as the Eve of All Hallows or All Saints. There was a mix of cultures in making Halloween, even Aztecas I believe, but they had different dates for the year for it each. It was the night the year turned to winter, and the ghosts of the dead roamed the world of the living."

*ponders* "There were also witches and dark cats involved, and the way to fight their incantations was saying things while walking backwards and spitting and so on... muggles were afriad of the bad luck it meant."

*sighs* "I wonder where my old notes are, it would have this quite easier."