#Dia de los muertos altar items how to

To finish, draw a cross of ash on the floor to help the spirit arrive and atone for any unresolved guilt. For adults, use cempasúchil (Mexican marigold), which is representative of the festivity.Ħ. For the children’s altar, use alhelí blanca (hoary stock), nube (baby's breath), or any other white flower to signify the purity, innocence, and tenderness of the visitor. Include a trail of petals on the floor to help them find their way to and from the cemetery. Their vivid colors and scents decorate and perfume the altar while the souls are visiting, making them happy. Four candles may be placed in a cross to represent cardinal points - so the anima can orient itself.ĥ. The color represents the condition of the family, i.e. The bottom tier should include a vessel with water to relieve the thirst of the spirits after their travel to the mortal realm salt, to purify and prevent the spirit from corruption on its way back to the spirit world copal or incense, to cleanse the space of bad spirits and ensure loved ones arrive safely and candles, to help the souls find their way back home (in indigenous communities, the number of candles is related to the number of spirits they want to welcome home). Use the middle tier to pay homage to your loved one’s favorite hobbies, meals, and personal items like pan de muertos (a traditional bread), sugar and chocolate skulls, fruit, trinkets, and candy.Ĥ. A cross or other religious items can also be included here.ģ. Portraits are often placed across from a mirror in a way that viewers can see the reflection. On the top tier, place portraits of deceased loved ones. Cover with a petate (tablecloth) and decorate with papel picado (colored tissue paper cut into elaborate designs).Ģ. Stack one on top of the other so that it looks like a set of bleachers or stairs. Get tables or boxes of differing heights.

#Dia de los muertos altar items how to

HOW TO BUILD A DIA DE LOS MUERTOS ALTARġ. The altar can be as simple or as extravagant as you wish the important thing is devoting time to the memory of loved ones.Īnyone can build their own. Most families construct a three-tier altar representing the division between heaven, earth, and purgatory. Ideally, an altar has seven tiers or steps (symbolizing the route to heaven), each decorated with different trinkets and symbols. The altar usually stays up until November 3, though sometimes they are left for a few more days. The souls of people who led exemplary lives arrive to the mortal world on November 1, Día de Todos los Santos. Ghosts arrive in an orderly manner: First, those who’ve died a violent death, then un-baptized babies and children. Assembly of the altars happens at the end of October, before the souls return to the mortal world on October 28. Institutions like schools make altars for extraordinary people (like authors and artists). Typically, families build an altar for deceased relatives outside their homes. This is one of the most beloved holidays in Mexico, and extremely bittersweet. Here's how.ĭía de los Muertos merges Spanish and indigenous Mexican traditions of sacred devotion in a colorful demonstration of remembrance of people that are no longer with us.

Anyone can build a traditional Mexican altar. It's festive, it's colorful, and it involves candy. It's the season of Dia de los Muertos - when Mexicans celebrate the life of the dead.