How to make a shrine for Day of the Dead

With Halloween comming up, there's a latin holiday just as close by to celebrate a beloved person that passed on. Honor them with a celebration on Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Table
• Table cloth
• Incense
• Favorite food and drink of the deceased
• Clothing of the deacesed
• Pictures of the deceased
• Marigold flowers
• Belongings or favorite things of the deceased
• Candles
• Sugar skull (optional)
• Paper mache skeletons (optional)

1. Set up a table that will hold belongings of a beloved family member or friend that has moved on from the living, with a white table cloth in your home (usually the living room). Make sure it's a good size table, but it depends on how many things or sizes of objects that will be placed on the table.

2. Next is to put in a favorite picture of the deceased(s) in the center of the table, if there's any other extra favorite photos, those can be decorated around on the table.

3. Next is to place Marigold flowers, candles, and burning incense on the shrine to attract the loved one's soul to your table to make their way to your home, visit you, and to know that they are dearly missed.

4. Next is to place the deceased's favorite clothing they used to and loved to wear, and favorite things like ciggarettes, cards, etc. anything that they liked to do when alive to make the soul feel at home and felt like they never left.

5. Final thing to place on the shrine is food. The soul made a long journey to comeback for a day to be with his/her family and is usually thought to feed the soul after their long journey. The dishes mostly served is the soul's favorite, for example; enchiladas, tamales, mole with corn tortillas, rice and beans, etc. For drinks, usually alcohol for an adult spirit like wine or beer.

Tips & Warnings

• On November 1st is the first day of Dia de los Muertos, this day is to remember young loved ones that passed away, newborns to teenagers. On their shrine treats are given like toys, and candy.
• On November 2nd, the last day, it is when the adults are remembered.
• Sugar (candy) skulls are usually left on the shrine with the deceased initials in the center of the candy skull as a sweet offering.
• Decorative skeletons are usually placed on the shrine as well, just mostly for decorations, they're also cute little things.
• Make sure not to leave the candles and incense burning for long periods of time to avoid fire accidents.