#Traditional dia de los muertos altar how to

Some Christian elements have been added to the traditional altar, such as the marigold cross that represents how Christ defeated death. The altar of the dead is a pre-Columbian tradition, at the arrival of Catholicism this tradition prevailed and the date of celebration was made to coincide with the Day of the All Saints. It begins on November 1, the day of the innocent saints, and continues on November 2. What Day is the Día de Muertos Celebrated in Mexico Traditionally people set the altar on October 31 to receive the souls of children who arrive on November 1, on November 2 adults ssouls arrive and leave on November 3. The altar of the dead is to be placed on October 28. What day should the altar of the dead be placed Candles: They illuminate the path of the deceased.Sugar Skulls: A reminder to the living of the final sweet destination.Salt dish: In ancient times, salt was highly prized and was used so that the soul of the dead could overpower the underworld watchers to be able to return to earth.Glass of water: Represents purification and the symbol of water.Photograph to whom the altar is dedicated.The cross: represents the four cardinal points and that the vinda defeated death in the resurrection.Incense: symbolizes that through the smell the deceased can reach the place.Bread of the dead: This offering means the consecration.Fruit: in homage to mother nature and the wealth it gives us, representing the element of the earth.The deceased person’s favorite food and drink.The altar of the dead in a traditional home must bear the following: If you have small children they sell candles that are led lights which are safer to leave on.Buy ceramic skulls, I got them at Dollar Tree and the children painted them to decorate the altar.Use the marigold flowers to form the arch that goes above the altar.The first tip is to use a black tablecloth so that the colored papel picado stands out more.

Click here for papel picado of the day of the dead. You can stick it on each of the levels of the altar, it gives it a lot of life and color and after this you can add the things that the altar carries, here I share a list of simple elements to have a beautiful and dead altar at home.

The simplest way is with Mexican papel picado.

#Traditional dia de los muertos altar how to

How to decorate an altar for Día de los Muertos Place the tablecloth on the table, fold around the middle and place the following boxes on top and cover them with the tablecloth and so on progressively until the entire altar is covered. We use black because the shredded paper, Mexican Papel Picado, looks much better over dark colors, we think it gives it more color but you can use any color.

Like my husband’s parents, their paternal grandparents.Īfter placing the boxes, we covered everything with a black tablecloth. In our case, the most important thing is that the children get involved in the tradition and have the opportunity to talk with them about our family who has died already and they did not have the chance to meet. The original altars have 7 levels for which you would need a firm base of wooden drawers on each level. Remember that each level decreases in size. We went to Costco and came back with a bunch of boxes that worked perfectly. Take the measurements of the width and length of your table and accordingly look for boxes that you can use for the levels. How to make the levels of the ofrenda for Dia de los Muertos