Building a Day of the Dead Altar

above - a day of the dead altar made by Susan for her dead relatives.

Today, in the United States, the fastest growing holiday (that isn't an official holiday) is Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) – a holiday from South of the border that while it immediately follows our Halloween, is actually a time of celebrating the dead.  Deceases friends, relatives, folk heroes and even pets are honored from October 31 – November 2^nd of each year.  Altars are usually set up between the middle of October through November 2nd. 

For a better description of dias de los Muertos, visit our article on the Days of the Dead.

Typically families clean gravesites and many villages and pueblos have all night candle-lit vigils at the cemetery, however the most visible aspect is the public and home altars. 

Most often altars are constructed for immediate ancestors or relatives, but can be for anyone – even folk heroes like Frida Kahlo or Mother Theresa.  Anyone who has had a positive impact on your life can be the subject of your Day of the Dead altar.  Altars are also used to show your support for others.  Dia de los Muertos altars made to those who have died due to AIDS related illnesses, to those lost in the World Trade Towers attack and the students at Columbine are just a few examples. 

Building altars mixes ancient meso-American religions with modern Christianity.  There is no witchcraft involved – those creating altars are not trying to raise the dead – they are already with us!

A Dia de los Muertos altar can be as simple or as elaborate as you like and have the time and resources to construct. The purpose of an altar is remembrance - with that in mind feel free to do what you think your honoree would enjoy. While we have included a few guidelines, these are by no means rules to live by. They are a starting place, where you end up is completely up to you.

While death is a topic largely avoided in the USA, the remembrance of deceased ancestors and loved ones is traditional among diverse cultures around the globe, often marked by lighting candles or lamps and laying out offerings of food and drink. Such celebrations can be traced back as far as the glory days of ancient Egypt when departed souls were honored during the great festival of Osiris.

Are those who create altars trying to communicate with the dead?  Yes, and no. There are two aspects to altar making on el Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead). The first is to communicate with those that are no longer physically with us- This isn’t any different from people going to visit the graves of their dearly departed. It isn’t about witchcraft, it is about having an eternal dialogue with those that we love. The second aspect is the connection it provides us to the world at large and to our place in the after-life. By building an altar we are acknowledging that we go on and that not being physically present isn’t the same as being gone.

Some people take up entire corners of their homes with Day of the Dead altars, others use a simple end table dressed up with fabric and other items. The point is, size doesn’t really matter, what matters is the heart you put into it.   

Traditionally any items (including the plates or dishes used) placed on the altar should be new.  Many of the other items (the food, garlands, flowers, incense and candles) are meant to be ephemeral (lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory – not permanent). Thus, traditionally new items such as flowers, foods, papel picado (paper banners) are purchased new each year rather than being saved year to year.  Not everything has to be new – favorite toys for children, a favorite deck of cards, comb or book of a loved one can be used on the altar, as well and kept.  Many people in the U.S. keep items from year to year, however in Mexico, as stated above, these items are bought new each year - they are meant to be impermanent and it is believed that to use old or used pieces dishonors the dead. 

BUILDING YOUR DAY OF THE DEAD ALTAR