How to Prepare Ofrendas for Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead is a family-oriented event celebrated in many Latin American countries, particularly in Mexico. Day of the Dead is a time to remember and honor the deceased and is usually characterized by ofrendas, which are shrines or altars constructed to present offerings to the spirits. Welcome the spirits of your departed loved ones by learning how to prepare ofrendas for Day of the Dead.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Treats (such as candied sugar skulls)
• Incense
• Three boxes
• Personal items of the deceased (such as jewelry)
• Salt
• Candles
• Calaveras
• Water
• Favorite beverage of the deceased
• Papel picado

Learn How to Prepare Ofrendas for Day of the Dead

1. Prepare the ofrendas to honor your deceased loved ones and ancestors by first making an altar for the home. The altar typically consists of three boxes stacked one on top of the other (often pyramid style) to represent the three levels of death that a soul must travel. The first level is the death of the body, the second when the body is interred to the ground and the third is the final death, when there are no longer any living members of the family to remember the deceased.

2. Make calaveras, or skeleton figures, to symbolize the deceased as they were when they were alive. These figures often depict the special interests of the departed (such as playing the guitar or dancing) and how they physically looked. The calaveras are placed on the second level of the ofrendas.

3. Add mementos to the ofrendas to assist spirits in finding the correct house and family to visit during Day of the Dead. These items might consist of personal items familiar to the deceased, such as jewelry, instruments or cigars.

4. Add favorite Day of the Dead foods to the ofrendas, such as candied sugar skulls and sweet breads (known as pan de muertos) or hojaldra. Favorite beverages of the deceased, such as wine, may also be placed on the altar or shrine. However, it is also customary to provide water and salt for purification of the ofrendas and visiting souls.

5. Surround the ofrendas with plenty of candles (taking proper safety precautions, of course). Also, it is traditional to place four candles on the top level of the ofrendas altar to represent the four directions: North, East, South and West.

6. Burn incense on the ofrendas for purification and to guide the spirits to your home for Day of the Dead. Copal, a resin derived from a tree native to Mexico, is the traditional incense used.

7. Put the finishing touch on the ofrendas for Day of the Dead with papel picado, an art form in which colorful tissue paper is folded and cut into patterns. You may attach these decorations to the bottom of the altar boxes.

Tips & Warnings

• Since Day of the Dead is considered to be a celebration of eternal life rather than a sad event, ofrendas usually reflect whimsical portrayals of the dead as they were when they were living.