Embracing Life and Legacy: Día de los Muertos Through My Family’s Altars

Embracing Life and Legacy

Happy Halloween everyone! For people in the States, Halloween is a holiday full of costumes, scares, treats, and good fun. It is a time to be someone else for a day, and get some yummy candy while you’re at it! Growing up in the States, I participated in the trick-or-treating fun everyone was having around me. Some of my best memories as a kid are dressing up for Halloween. But, did you know that the holiday has a different meaning in Mexico? Halloween is October 31st for everyone in the States. But in Mexico, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a multi-day holiday happening on Nov. 1st and 2nd! Nov 1st is commonly known as Día de los Inocentes (Day of the Innocents) which specifically honors children and infants who have passed away. Nov. 1st is also Día de Todos los Santos, or All Saints’ Day, which is a holiday in the Catholic faith that honors all of the saints who have made it to heaven. It is for people who have lived a live in faith and are now in God’s presence! Nov. 2nd is known as Dia de los Muertos, which honors and remembers loved ones who have passed away. Many people make ofrendas (offerings), which are altars with food, pictures, marigold flowers (cempasúchil), and more gifts for the passed loved ones! Everyone dresses up in their costume, and many do the traditionally calavera face paint! It is a day of honor, remembrance, and positive outlook on death. As the holiday just passed, I wanted to show off some of my family’s past ofrendas to honor my past loved ones and show off this amazing tradition!

Ofrendas 

This is the ofrenda my aunt and her kids made at their home. It has pictures of our loved ones who have passed away, with colorful banners to decorate it. Those orange flowers are cempasúchil. These flowers are traditionally used for Dia de los Muertos, and you can find them all over the ofrendas and the cemetery sites. She included tequila shots with salt and lime wedges to offer them. ❤️

This is another ofrenda my uncle and family made at their home. This one is cool because they used a heart frame to put pictures in! It was very beautiful. They included candles, calaveras, and again, the cempasúchil flowers. They also made a cross out of flower petals, which brings in the religious faith that is always so present in these altars. So nice to be able to remember our loved ones through these beautiful altars. ❤️

This picture is from my family in TN’s altar a few years ago. The picture is my sister Mariana with her calavera face paint! We made the altar very colorful, with our favorite food, drinks, and snacks on it. We even hand drew calaveras to put on the wall! Although we did not have the famous cempasúchil flowers, we made sure to make ones that were similar, and of all different colors. It was great to be able to bring the tradition to the States, even though we were far from Mexico and our loved one’s resting place. ❤️

If you haven’t watch Pixar’s Coco, for an fun story inspired by this amazing tradition! It is a heartwarming, tearjerking movie that will have you sobbing at the end. It’s the best. Thank you for joining me in this journey through Día de los Muertos! I hope this glimpse into my family’s ofrendas helped show how special and meaningful this holiday is for so many of us. While Halloween in the U.S. is all about fun costumes and treats, Día de los Muertos is a beautiful reminder to honor and celebrate those who came before us, embracing both life and death with open hearts. Traditions like these keep us connected across generations, reminding us that even when miles apart, love and remembrance bring us together. ❤️

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Gracias,

Cristy ❤️