#7 levels of dia de los muertos altar series#

#7 levels of dia de los muertos altar series#

This ofrenda (or offering) is part of a series that describes in more detail the traditions of Día de los Muertos. Special thanks to xime izquierdo ugaz for the offering. What are some elements you add to your ofrenda? Beyond the altar, it’s important to use this day to gather with your family and friends, even if virtually, to remember loved ones lost, share stories, celebrate their return, and affirm our commitment to defend our communities’ right to thrive. Sugar skulls, or calaveras de azúcar, allude to the ever-presence of death, and sometimes have the dead’s names written on them.Ĭopal and incense, fragrance of reverence that cleanses the environment and drives away evil spirits. Their favorite knickknacks, food, or tools, to create a familiar setting for their return. Salt, a purifying element usually placed on a dish to stop the souls of the deceased from being corrupted by earthly temptations. Papel picado, delicately decorated tissue paper, gives color to your ofrenda and represents the wind and fragility of life. Four candles at the top of your altar imply the cardinal directions which provide them a lighted path into this world. Its circular shape refers to the cycle of life and death through which each person passes.Ĭempasuchitl, which comes from it’s Nahuatl name Cempohualxochitl, are orange marigolds which are known to lure the spirits to your altar with their vibrant color and aroma.Ĭandles, their flame is the light and the hope that guides your loved ones. Pan de muerto, a sweet treat that comes in many forms depending on region, but can look like a round bread with a skull and bones on top. Water is served to quench the thirst of the spirit that is traveling to reach your altar. Photograph/s of your loved one/s, to honor who they were in life. The altar with seven levels is the most traditional and symbolizes the steps necessary for the deceased to reach heaven and rest in peace. Altars that have three levels represent the sky, the earth and the underworld. The simplest one is the one with two levels, which represent earth and the sky. Levels, an altar can be of different levels: two, three or seven. If you’ve never built one before, here are some crucial elements to add to your own Day of the Dead altar: It’s important to note that you can build an altar in whatever way speaks to you and your ancestors. An ofrenda or tlamallani (in Nahuatl) is an essential part of this celebration, as its main function is to receive the spirits and guide them to the house of their loved ones so that they can meet again in a dimension that allows them to coexist. One out of the many diverse popular expressions and traditions practiced on this day across the Americas and expressly in Mexico and throughout Central America is creating an altar or ofrenda.

In this year of incredible loss, we prepare to celebrate Dia de los Muertos and invite you to honor the tradition, as we resolve to keep up the fight in the name of our ancestors, our communities, and our future.ĭia de los Muertos is a festivity born out of the syncretism that ties Indigenous tradition and Catholic practices, in which we celebrate the momentary return of our dead. To compound this devastation, innumerable Black and Brown lives were also robbed by the ongoing pandemics of police brutality, missing and murdered Indigenous women, and murders of trans folks, especially Black trans women.

2020 has dealt many blows to our communities, particularly in relation to the 220,000+ lives taken by COVID-19, and the Trump administration’s failed responses.