Day of the Dead: Celebrating our Past, Present, and Future

The welcoming back of the spirits is observed in households with the creation of ofrendas. The quality and degree of ornamentation of the ofrendas depend on regional traditions, family and individual wealth, recent deaths, or the year’s harvest. On the ofrenda, the main objects are symbolic of life’s elements: water, wind, fire, and earth: 

• Water is served in a clay pitcher or glass to quench the spirit’s thirst from their long journey.
• Fire is signified by the candles that are lit.
• Wind is signified by papel picado (tissue paper cut-outs).
• Earth is represented by food, usually pan de muerto (bread of the dead). 
• Other offerings include mole, fruit, chocolate, atole, toys, calaveritas de azúcar, and copal incense. 

Read more, The Meaning of the Altar, Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum Day of the Dead/ Día de los Muertos

Storytelling is a key ingredient to any ofrenda. Families gather together and spend time sharing their stories and their family histories with one another. This cultural tradition brings family together. Each member of the family contributes to the storytelling.

Today, ofrendas combine traditional items such as calacas, sugar skulls, or pan de muerto with silk marigold flowers, electric candles and digital photo frames. Ofrendas can honor family members or pop culture icons such as Frida Kahlo and Celia Cruz. They can be personal statements of loss or can make social and political statements. Although the Day of the Dead continues to be transformed in many ways, the underlying sense of commitment to honoring the deceased loved ones and celebrating life and death has remained.

Read more, Honoring Our Ancestors, Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum Day of the Dead/ Día de los Muertos

What Is an Ofrenda?

An ofrenda (trans. "offering") is an altar on which offerings are placed for Día de los Muertos to honor a loved one who has died. In addition to food and refreshments that are offered to the deceased loved one, ofrendas can be elaborately decorated with items such as:

• marigolds
• candles
• sugar skulls
• papel picado (tr. perforated paper)
• belongings and pictures of the deceased.
• Incense made from the copal tree is also placed on the altar to scare away evil spirits.

(photograph by Chris Luengas)

Items Commonly Found on an Ofrenda

Papel Picado

Papel picado is a paper-based Mexican folk art with origins dating back to pre-Columbian Aztec culture.

Learn more about it here.

Calaveras

The Calavera, better known as sugar skulls in the U.S. are just what it sounds like. Skulls made from sugar. To learn more about las calaveras, read here.

Cempasuchil

Cempasuchil, known in English as marigolds, is a flower native to Mexico and a staple of ofrenda decoration. To learn about their significance, read here.

(photograph by Chris Luengas)

Want to build your own ofrenda? See this article for instructions.