Day of the Dead Altar

Day of the Dead altars typically have photos of the deceased, flowers, candles, food, sweets, incense, and fruit. More traditional altars will include Pan de Muerto and marigolds (cempasúchitl). Conducting some research, we found that the candles serve as a guide to welcome the dead to the altar, and that yellow marigold flowers are commonly used because they symbolize death.

The ultimate goal, when creating an altar, is to place items that your deceased loved ones enjoyed during life. Some families buy trinkets and gifts to place on their altar, while others simply decorate with items found around their home. It’s really up to you to decide how much you want to spend.

There are no concrete guidelines for creating an altar, so our suggestion to you is that you have fun and be creative. Your altar can be located in any area of your home and can be of any size. Some families build a large altar, while others simply set aside a small area on a table. Below we have photos of our bloggista’s altars, but remember you are free to decorate your altar as you wish. We also share a video “how to” below, to guide you!