They symbolize those who have passed from this world to the spirit world. The sugar skulls ( calaveras) are probably some of the most prominent modern day images of Dia De Los Muertos, but their significance is quite traditional. Ofrendas include the four main elements of nature/life: wind, water, earth, and fire: Earth Resources look different for everyone, so sometimes a photo, cup of water, & candle suffice! There are some common cultural artifacts that you will see on many ofrendas that I would like to walk you through.
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS 2021 HOW TO
The beauty of these colorful offerings is that they can be as complex, elaborate, or ornate as you’d like, and there isn’t necessarily a rule book for how to “properly” create an ofrenda as long as your intention and offerings are there. The beauty of ofrendas is that they change depending on the traditions your family practices and how you best want to honor those who are no longer with you. Your mother loved to sew, add a needle and thread to your ofrenda in her honor. Your grandpa loved to play poker? Put a deck of cards on the altar. It is on these ofrendas that we are able to share the many ways we remember our deceased loved ones. Altars or ofrendas in a very literal translation mean an offering, and the Dia de Los Muertos is at its core an offering to our dearly departed. In Mexico and other parts of Central America, relatives of the deceased will gather at cemeteries with altars ( ofrendas) that often have popular elements of the day, like skulls ( calaveras) and marigolds ( cempasúchitl).įrom Cempasuchil to Calacas: What are the important aspects of an altar?Īll altars are different, but some aspects of an altar have very traditional and salient meanings. Arturo Oliveros Morales, the first celebration started in small towns in Michoacan (where my paternal family is from) around 1500 B.C. This day is often conflated with Halloween based on the timing of the year, but it is very different.ĭia de los Muertos is a celebration of life rooted in indigenous populations (Aztec, Maya, Olmec, Zapotec, Mixtec, P’urhépecha, and Totonac) of the region that honored their dearly departed by creating altars with images of the deceased, as well as their favorite foods, drinks, and activities. It is a day reserved for celebrating the lives of those dearly departed family members, and welcoming their return from the spirit world through an altar. Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) takes place at the beginning of November every year and is a celebration, particularly for the people in Mexico and Central America and their descendants.
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