How to Make a Day of the Dead Altar

Día de los Muertos is a holiday rooted in the ancient past of Mesoamerica. My ancestors were in awe of the eternal cycle of life and death and believed in the need for sacrifice to assure the continuation of life. The Aztecs of past honored those who have passed on with great feasts, sacrifice, ritual, dance, and sacred art that depicted their beliefs and customs. After the trauma of the Spanish conquest, their beliefs persisted by adapting them to the holidays of the Christian calendar. Although much of the ancient indigenous religions were lost, the core aspect of the days of the dead was kept. This core consists of the altar with offerings to the dead.

The Day of the Dead is a time for the dead to return home and visit loved ones, feast on their favorite foods and listen to their favorite music. In the homes, family members honor their deceased loved ones with ofrendas or offerings such as photographs, bread, foods, flowers, toys, and other symbolic offerings.

Traditional altars consist of an arcos, or arch, covered with marigold flowers. The arch is symbolic of a head board for the bed of those who have died and also of the arching heavens. Most altars also contain images of the Virgin Mary, pictures of the dead, momentos that remind the living of the dead, candles, and food and drink for the returning spirits. Day of the Dead altars customarily use papel picado as decoration.

Day of the Dead altars include four main elements of nature - earth, wind, water, and fire.

This how-to tutorial will describe how to make your own Day of the Dead altar.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Food, such as bread and fruit, represents the earth's crops and feeds the souls of the deceased. Salt represents the salt of the earth.
• A bowl of water quenches the thirst of the deceased.
• Tissue paper cut into a design, or made into paper flowers, represents the wind element.
• Candles represent the fire element. Each lit candle represents a soul and an extra one represents the forgotten soul.
• Photographs of your loved ones.
• Flowers, especially marigolds if you can find them.
• Towel, soap, perfume and other such bath items.

1. Dedicate a table or dresser top to be your altar. Nothing should be on the altar except things that honor the deceased and things that represent the four elements.

2. Place a photograph or photographs of the loved one to whom the altar is dedicated at the center. Place a few momentos around the photos that reflect the individual .

3. 
   Ofrenda

   Prepare a feast of foods that were favorites of your ancestors. Tamales, mole, pan de muerto, and seasonal fruits are traditionally used. Place a bowl of water on the altar and a small dish of salt.

4. Add lots of flowers. Yellow and orange marigolds are used traditionally because of their bright colors and strong aroma.

5. 
   Day of the Dead Dolls

   Add sugar skulls, or toy skulls and Day of the Dead skeleton dolls. These are whimsical reminders of your loved ones.

6. 
   Day of the Dead Photo by Nicholas Beatty

   Add candles. You can use any color you want, just remember that each candle represents the souls of a loved one. Traditional Day of the dead candle colors use are purple to represent pain, pink to represent celebration, and white to represent hope.

7. 
   Papel Picado

   Add some decorative paper. Paper cut outs are traditionally used to represent the wind element, as well as make the altar more festive.

8. Add a towel, bar of soap, some bath powder, or perfume. It is believed that the souls would like to refresh themselves after a long journey.

9. 
   http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/R/Clemencia.Rodriguez-1/altar/build.html

   Personalize your altar with images of saints, favorite objects, or whatever you think would honor your loved ones.

Tips & Warnings

• There is no one way to create a Day of the Dead altar. As long as you remember the basics, you can't go wrong.
• Arrange your altar in a fashion that is pleasing to the eye. The one rule of thumb with regards to placement is the main photo in the center.
• You can also create an altar to honor your pet. Just replace the photos with pictures of your pet and personal effects with your pet's favorite toys.
• Remember that the Day of the Dead is a time to celebrate the lives of those who have passed on before us. As such, it is considered disrespectful to the spirits to grieve when you first approach the altar.

Resources

• Day of the Dead
• Catrina, Day of the Dead Calavera
• Day of the Dead
• Día de Los Muertos
• Day of the Dead Altars
• Day of the Dead Bookstore