Day of the Dead Altars are the focal point of holiday celebrations. They are an important way to honor the dead and welcome them back to the land of the living. Here are 10 essentials to order now to prepare your Ofrenda. {Last updated October 6, 2021}
What do you love most about Día de los Muertos? Setting up our Day of the Dead altar, or Ofrenda, is my favorite part of the holiday.
The Ofrenda is where you place photos of your deceased loved ones and special items that remind you of them; like their favorite foods, drinks, perfumes, flowers, anything really that brings back their memory.
On Día de los Muertos, (November 1 and 2) the candlelight, sweet smelling flowers, and good food on the altar is what guides your family members back to you for a short while to visit.
In the past we’ve done it several ways. Armando and the kids built an altar one year out of wood and we used that for a long time until we moved from North Dakota back to California.
It got ruined in the move and for the past few years we have simply used a wooden desk as an altar and it works too. Once we move into our new home I’d like to build another more intricate one again, but until then we will use what we have and I want to encourage you to do the same.
If you don’t have a Day of the Dead altar tradition it really is a beautiful way to celebrate the lives of those who have passed before us and almost everything you need to make a simple altar can be bought online. But the time to order is now so you will have everything by November 1.
What traditionally goes on Day of the Dead altars?
A Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead Celebration isn’t complete without an altar. Each altar is specific and unique to the home and people who make it but there are a few important elements that should be on every altar including:
- Pan de Muertos bread
- Flor de Muertos
- Salt
- Paper in the form of Papel Picado or tissue paper flowers
- Incense
- A cross
- Water
- Candles
- Calaveras
- Photos of the ones you wish to remember
How to Create a Simple Day of the Dead Altar
- The first thing you need is a table. It can be as big or as small as you’d like. Find a simple folding table, or we use a wooden desk and cover it with a colorful cloth like this Serape Tablecloth. Many Ofrendas are built in two or three layers, the top layer representing heaven and the bottom layer representing earth. You can use something as simple as shoe boxes tucked underneath the tablecloth to make the layers.
2. Now it is time to decorate. Garlands of marigolds or Cempasuchil are found on almost every Day of the Dead altar in Mexico. Marigold flowers use their color and scent to guide the spirits back home. I love this reusable marigold garland from Artelexia.
3. The paper flower tradition is very strong too. If you have time you can make your own paper flowers out of tissue paper or buy these precious Miniature Flowers from Lola’s Mercadito.
4. Candles are essential and you can go traditional or honor the dead and light a Saint Candle of someone they admired. My grandparents were huge fans of Billie Holiday, so we have her candle on our altar. The Unemployed Philosophers Guild has lots of secular saint candles to choose from.
5. Papel Picado can be strung from the ceiling above the altar or on the wall behind. You can find it in any kind of design you’d like, whether that be skull and crossbones or specific Day of the Dead scenes.
6. You can order a mold and make your own Sugar Skulls or Calaveras but you can also buy plain sugar skulls and decorate them yourself or ones already decorated with royal icing.
7. A Talavera pitcher like this one from Zinnia Folk Arts is perfect for holding water on your Ofrenda. A glass or pitcher of water is often placed to refresh parched souls from their long journey.
8. Figurines like these hand-painted, miniature cat sculptures from My Cajita Co. are common on a Day of the Dead altar. You can find figurines of people or pets in any number of poses, holding a variety of objects. Find one that reflects your loved ones.
9. Copal incense is traditional on Dia de los Muertos altars because the scent is believed to attract spirits and clear the air so they may easily enter. If you like this idea, make your own smudge sticks now and have them ready for the holidays (they take two weeks to dry).
10. No ofrenda is complete without food or drink. Pan de Muerto is the traditional “Bread of the Dead”. It is a sweet, yeasty bread and you can certainly make your own loaf of Pan de Muerto or purchase a loaf to offer the dead who will be hungry from their long journey.
Now What to Eat and Drink on Dia de los Muertos
Traditional food for Day of the Dead can include everything from mole, rice, braised meat dishes and fall fruits and vegetables like pomegranate and pumpkin. Here are a few of our favorite recipes to make for Día de Muertos:
- Apple-Braised Beef Tamales
- Manchamantel Mole {Chipotle and Pineapple Mole}
- Coconut Tres Leches Cake
- Marigold Mezcal Margaritas
References
These resources helped me write and create this post:
- The Meaning Behind the Altar For Day of the Dead by Latin Times
- Lola’s Mercadito
- Artelexia
- Zinnia Folk Arts
- My Cajita Co
- Mexican Sugar Skull
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