Held on All Saints' Day (1 November) and All Souls' Day (2 November) according to the Catholic calendar, this Aztec-influenced festival commemorates the memory of deceased family, friends, and ancestors.

BBC: Get spooked: Five sensational Halloween destinations

In the spirit of welcoming souls who have been drinking all day in the sun, CASI's senior members insist that I stay to help judge the final.

BBC: The perfect chilli con carne in the heart of Texas

Both All Hallows' Eve -- known today as Halloween -- and All Saints' Day, which follows on November 1, were designated as days to pray for dead souls that had not passed out of purgatory, in the belief that the prayers of the living will help.

CNN: Happy Halloween