Traditions are important in order to feel connected to our home countries, especially when you are far and it’s hard to find the materials, ingredients, or decorations. The good news is that there is always a way to find a solution so you can celebrate that special day and the day of the dead is no exception! Scroll down to find everything you need to know about the day of the dead altar and how you can make your own at home even if you are far from Mexico.
We love celebrating Colombian and Mexican festivities because it is a way to honor our cultures and learn about them while we incorporate them into our calendars. As part of the traditions, we also love to learn why they are special, where they are celebrated, and how it started. You might know we are into history and culture, so what better excuse to learn more about our own than to teach each other?
Our house always seems to be decorated because between the Colombian and the Mexican holidays we are always celebrating!
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What is the day of the day altar?
In Spanish, it is called an altar de Muertos. It’s a fundamental element for the day of the dead celebrations that occur on November 2nd. It is an altar that you make at home to honor the people in your family or your close friends that are no longer in this world. You give them offerings like food, candles, flowers, and objects to remember them.
How did the day of the day altar tradition start?
This tradition predates the Spaniard’s arrival. The indigenous people of Mesoamérica believed that there was an anima that gave identity and consciousness to humans. Once the human died, it would abandon the body and go to a place where it could exist for eternity. By making an altar it was possible to communicate with it, thank it and give it offerings. The tradition has changed over the centuries, especially with the arrival of Catholicism and its attempt to convert all indigenous peoples, but they refused to let go of this tradition.
Today, the altars and their representations vary from region to region, the available elements, and each person’s religious beliefs and traditions.
We are not religious people so our altar does not have catholic symbols, but how you decorate it and what you put on it is entirely up to you.
What does the day of the dead altar have?
The altars can have everything you want to put on them that reminds you of the people you are honoring. However, there are a few elements that most altars have in addition to the multiple levels. These levels represent the material and immaterial world. Depending on the amount of space you have and what you want to represent you can choose the number of levels you want your altar to have.
Day of the dead altar levels
2 levels: represent the separation between the heavens and the earth. It can also represent earthly fruits and heavenly blessings.
3 levels: represent the sky, the earth, and the underworld. If you look at it from a more religious point of view, this last one can be considered the purgatory. The 3 levels can also be seen as the Holy Trinity.
7 levels: this is the most traditional altar. It represents the 7 levels a soul must go through in order to arrive at the place where it can exist for eternity. It can also be considered as the 7 deadly sins.
What goes on the day of the dead altar?
⇢ The arch: usually made of cempasúchil flowers, but it can be made of papel picado (tissue paper), candy, or leaves. It represents the entrance to the land of the dead.
If you can’t find cempasúchil flowers or you don’t want to cut them do not worry! Our step-by-step tutorial on how to make them out of paper is super simple and fun!
⇢ Papel picado: this represents the wind on the altar that represents the union between life and death. Usually yellow and purple.
⇢ Fire: represents the guiding light for the soul on its way back to the land of the dead. You can use candles or small-controlled torches.
⇢ Water: used to quench the thirst of the soul and give it strength for the rest of its journey. You can put a glass, a plate, or a jar filled with water.
⇢ Flowers: not only do they decorate the altar, but they are also a beautiful welcoming gift. Usually, there are orange flowers (cempasúchil) to guide the souls towards the land of the living, white flowers (la nube) to represent the sky, and purple flowers (de amaranto) to represent mourning.
⇢ Skulls: colorful representations of the dead that can be made out of sugar, chocolate, or clay. They represent how death can be sweet instead of sour, it’s a way to make fun of the dead.
⇢ Food: usually you put the favorite food the person loved eating when they were alive. You also put pan de muerto, a sweet bread that is very traditional during these festivities.
⇢ Personal belongings: it can be clothes or objects that identified the person. In other words, things that remind you of them or what they did.
⇢ Salt: represents the purification of the soul and it stops it from getting tempted with earthly temptations.
⇢ Cross: it is a religious symbol that represents purification. You can also add other religious symbols such as a rosary or images. The cross also represents the four cardinal points so that the soul doesn’t get lost.
⇢ A photo of the person you are honoring.
How to make cempasúchil paper flowers?
Without a stem
- Without unrolling the tissue paper cut 10×10 cm squares. Then open the center of the “roll” and cut along the fold to separate the sheets.
- Take 6 sheets and fold them like an accordion.
- With a staple or a string secure them together at the center.
- Once it is secured, cut the end parts either like an arrow or a semicircle according to the type of petals you want to have.
- Carefully open the accordion and start separating the individual sheets to give shape to your flower.
With stem
- Without unrolling the tissue paper cut 5 cm pieces. Then, unroll the paper and cut 15 cm stips.
- Take 8 strips and put them together. Cut one of the edges with scissors with shapes or by making a wave.
- Once your edge is done make small 1 cm cuts along that same edge.
- Take one strip and fold it as a small accordion.
- Open the accordion and add glue along the opposite edge of the cuttings. You can also use tape, but it is a little bit harder. Carefully take the stick and start rolling the strip around it without pulling too hard so you don’t straighten the accordion.
- Repeat step 5 with the remaining 7 strips one on top of each other while you go around.
The celebration
It is a happy gathering with all the family where you talk about what is currently happening in each other’s lives and you make a promise to be with the departed once the time arrives.
The celebration starts when one person lights the candles and whispers the honored persons’ names while the rest sit around to share the food, listen to music, and talk. You tell stories about the person you are honoring and remember how much you love and appreciate them.
At the end, you turn off the candles and say goodbye to the souls wishing them a safe trip back to the land of the dead and ask them to come back next year.
Thank you for taking some time of your day to read our blog, we truly appreciate it. We hope this guide on everything you need to know about the day of the dead altar helps you have a wonderful celebration. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram for more ideas and tips.
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