Dia de los Muertos — Day of the Dead — is a religious and cultural event observed in Mexico, and regions with large Hispanic populations, which can be traced back to pre-Columbian, Aztec festivals for the goddess of the underworld. The annual holiday custom has now spread throughout the world, begins Oct. 31, ends Nov. 2, and starts with the gathering of goods to be offered to the dead. Graves are decorated, altars are created, and food is prepared for loved ones who have died.

Flowers are also a big part of this celebration, especially in very vivid colors of orange, yellow and purple. One flower in particular, the orange Mexican marigold, is incredibly popular and in Mexico it’s termed Flor de Muerto, Flower of the Dead. Its bright color, which symbolizes sun rays, and pungent scent are believed to guide the way for dead souls as they return to feast on their favorite foods, so the flowers are laid to light paths, cover crosses and decorate home altars.

Don’t be afraid of this holiday — welcome it and embrace it throughout your store with fun cross-merchandising ideas. The holiday has been growing in the United States especially among young, urban, multicultural segments of the market. It also offers a great opportunity for mass marketers to embrace the culture of their Hispanic customers. The three-day event is as colorful and alluring as Halloween but with more symbolic beliefs. Include the bakery, deli, grocery and produce departments in your promotions since the departed’s favorite foods and beverages are essential to observances.

I believe Dia de los Muertos could become a large flower holiday both now and in the future, if we plan ahead and do some creative marketing. Fresh-cut flowers are compulsory for decorations and on altars, so we have a real opportunity to encourage consumers to get them from us. There is a great deal of untapped floral sales potential at the end of October.

Frances Ann Day, author of the book Latina and Latino Voices in Literature, summarizes the three-day celebration this way:

“On October 31, All Hallows Eve, the children make a children’s altar to invite the angelitos (spirits of dead children) to come back for a visit. November 1 is All Saints Day, and the adult spirits will come to visit. November 2 is All Souls Day, when families go to the cemetery to decorate the graves and tombs of their relatives. The three-day fiesta filled with marigolds, the flowers of the dead; muertos (the bread of the dead); sugar skulls; cardboard skeletons; tissue paper decorations; fruit and nuts; incense, and other traditional foods and decorations.”

So stock your floral departments this month with yellow and orange marigolds, mums, gerberas, white oriental lilies, sunflowers, mini callas, baby’s breath, Asiatic lilies, gladiolas, other  colorful flowers, decorations and displays, and watch how an overlooked holiday can add to your bottom line.

Sue DeMuth is manager of floral merchandising at SpartanNash in Edina, MN. She can be contacted at [email protected].