#When to put up dia de los muertos altar how to#

Color and lights:В 'We are honoring the lives of those who passed away and we want it to be uplifting an joyous!' Cano-Murillo said. Sugar skulls:В 'These represent the sweetness of life, you eat or lick them to consume the dead and accept it as part of the cycle of life,' Cano-Murillo said.Д¦. Something to drink and eat:В 'The spirits will be hungry when they get here after their long journey,' Cano-Murillo said.ДҐ. Marigold flowers becauseВ the scent helps lure loved ones homeДЈ. 'However, remember you are making it in honor of a loved one, so think about what they liked, what they miss from this earth.'Д®very altar is different, but Cano-MurilloВ suggests including the following:Дў.

'The way you design your altar for DГa de los Muertos is totally up to you В it can be serious or playful,' she said. (She recently launched a line of Day of the Dead craft items at Michaels.) We asked artist Kathy Cano-Murillo, also known as Crafty Chica, to share her tips for building a Day of the Dead altar.

The bottom tier is the most practical.В This is where items like candles, towels and water are left so that the loved one can refresh during his or her visit.

The secondВ tier is filled with favorite food items.В There's pan de muerto, pan dulce, candy, cereal, liquor and more.

The top level features images of the lost loved one and/or photos of saints.

Ofrendas are often divided among three tiers: Modern-day versions of the altarsВ are sometimes simple,В sometimes elaborate -В but they almost always include ofrendas, a collectionВ of the deceased's favorite things, along with touches of humor.

These altars are part of a ritual that dates back more than 3,500 years, to a time long before the conquistadors arrived in the New World. Families gather at graveyards with strolling musicians, faces are painted, sugar skulls are decorated and altars are built. Loved ones who have died are remembered and honored through various celebrations. 1 and 2, many in Southern California, Mexico and across Latin America celebrate DГa de los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead. I have also decorated the altar with skulls as reference to death.'-Cristian EstradaД¬arbs don't count in the afterlife. I have decorated the altaer with marigold flowers, which are the official ceremonial flowers to use for DГa de los Muertos. I also laid out some Japanese peanuts, which she loved. I have put our some pan dulce and a Mexican Coca-Cola for her soul to eat. The framed photo is of my older sister and my grandmother, and the photo below of it is of me as a child with my grandmother. I have two velas (candles), one of the Virgin Mary and the other of Jesus Christ, my grandmother was a devout Mexican-Catholic. 'My grandmother used to decoratively sew tablecloths and drapes those are her decorative tablecloths and drape that she sewed. It is such a positive way to remember all the beings who have touched our lives,' said KPCC news source Mary Drummond. 'We have been making an altar for about 15 years now.

#When to put up dia de los muertos altar how to#

Rosanne Giza taught students at her son's school how to make sugar skulls. Laura Monteros makes alligator-shaped pan de muerto every year for her children. Laura Esqueda Isabel Medina Isabel MedinaД¬opal incense, a sugar skull and pan de muerto make up this altar. Additional candles are added for forgotten souls.Laura Esqueda and her brother, San Fernando artist Rick Ortega, created this altar for her son, Luis Andres. Fire: Visiting souls are illuminated from the shadow of death by candles.Common edibles include fruit, mole, chocolate, and atole. Earth: The soul is nourished by favorite family dishes that represent the crops of the earth.Wind: The papel picado also lets loved one know when the spirits have arrived.The deceased's favorite knickknacks, tools, or toys (for children) create a familiar setting for their return.ДЇour main elements of nature are found on an altar:.Christian iconography such as a Virgin Mary and Holy Cross reveal the holiday's European roots.Salt, a symbol of purification, is for the dead to season the food you've offered them.Candles represent the cardinal directions and provide a lighted path to this world.Found at most panaderias, the round loaf is topped with a skull and crossbones. Pan de muerto or 'bread of the dead' is a sweet treat.

Photograph(s) of the person(s) the altar is dedicated to help loved ones to remember them while they were in the prime of their lives.

Cempasuchitl, the Aztec term for 'marigolds' is the traditional flower used to honor the dead.

Sugar skulls, or calaveras, add a lighthearted touch, for both the dead and the living.

Papel picado serves as a colorful and meaningful trim: black represents death, purple means grief of mourning, pink is celebration, white symbolizes hope and yellowstands for the sun.