Short answer: not really. Unlike “Feliz Navidad,” “Feliz Año Nuevo” or “Feliz cumpleaños,” “Feliz Día de Muertos” is not something Mexicans normally say. You can say it, and it is fine, but it is rare.

It is easy to see why people ask. Día de Muertos is not a sad holiday. Arturo, who teaches with us at Speak Better Spanish and lives in Monterrey, describes it as a celebration: families get together and remember someone who died one, two, five or fifty years ago. If it is a celebration, “happy” seems like it should fit.

The reason it doesn’t has to do with who the celebration is for.

What Día de Muertos is actually about

Día de Muertos is for honoring and remembering loved ones who have died. The best-known date is November 2, but it starts earlier. From October 27 to November 2, each day is set aside for a different group of the dead. November 1 is for children who died, and November 2 is for adults.

Arturo is careful about one thing. When someone dies in Mexico there is mourning, as in almost every country. Día de Muertos is the day set aside to celebrate and remember them, not to grieve. He says November 1 can feel a little sadder, because it is the day for children, even though it is not meant to be sad.

The full sequence of days, and where the tradition comes from, is in our Día de Muertos guide.

Why there is no greeting for the day

Arturo’s explanation is the most useful part of the answer. On Día de Muertos, the celebration is not between living people. It is between a person and someone who has died, and usually someone close.

So the conversation that day is a close one, but it is private: between the person and the one they are remembering. That, Arturo thinks, is why there is no set phrase for living people to say to each other.

Christmas, New Year’s and birthdays are celebrated with the people around you, so you congratulate them. Día de Muertos is celebrated with the people you lost.

What you can say instead

If someone sees you on November 1 or 2 and wants to mention the day, Arturo says they might say something like:

• “Feliz Día de Muertos”
• “Que vivan nuestras tradiciones” (Long live our traditions)
• “Que tengas bonito Día de Muertos” (Have a nice Día de Muertos)

Even so, he says it is unusual for living people to exchange congratulations that day.

If you want to say something, Arturo is clear that “Feliz Día de Muertos” is fine. It is just not common.

Practice Spanish with a Native Mexican Teacher

Knowing what a holiday means changes what you can say about it. If you want to practice conversations like this one with a native Mexican teacher, we run live small-group Spanish conversation classes throughout the year: Spanish Group Conversation Classes.

For the full picture of the holiday, read our Día de Muertos guide.

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