Día de los Muertos Ofrenda Checklist

24 items · Lifestyle · Medium difficulty · 1 day

Build a Día de los Muertos ofrenda step by step: photos, marigolds, candles, water, pan de muerto, favorite foods and the days to set it out.

• Choose who you are honoring this year

  Some families add a new photo each year for someone who died since the last one.

• Pick a spot for the ofrenda

  A table, dresser or shelf against a wall works, away from curtains and out of reach of small children and pets.

• Decide how many levels to build

  Many families use two or three tiers made from sturdy boxes or crates. What each level stands for differs by family, so follow your own.

• Cover the levels with a tablecloth or a woven cloth
• Gather a photo of each person

  Many families place the photos on the highest level, where they can be seen from across the room.

• Collect a few of their belongings

  A hat, their reading glasses, a deck of cards or a favorite cup.

• Buy or cut papel picado

  Cut tissue paper banners, hung across the top or the front of the ofrenda.

• Buy marigolds (cempasúchil)

  Used as bunches, garlands and loose petals. Their color and scent are said to guide the spirits home.

• Lay a path of petals from the door to the ofrenda
• Set out candles

  Choose battery candles if the ofrenda has paper or dried flowers close to the flame.

• Pour a glass of water

  It is left for spirits said to arrive thirsty after the long journey.

• Set out a small dish of salt
• Buy or bake pan de muerto
• Buy or make sugar skulls

  Some families write each person's name across the forehead in icing.

• Light copal incense, if your family uses it
• Add a cross, a saint's image or a rosary, if your family keeps them
• Cook each person's favorite dish

  In many families the children's spirits are welcomed on November 1 and the adults' on November 2, so time the food to match.

• Add the drink they liked

  Coffee, a soda, beer, tequila, whatever they would have reached for.

• Add toys or sweets for any child being remembered
• Tell the children in the house the story behind each photo
• Visit and tidy the graves, if you can get to them

  Many families weed and wash the graves and decorate them with marigolds and candles.

• Check every real flame before going to bed
• Share the food with family once the days are over

  A common belief is that the spirits have already taken its essence.

• Wrap the photos and belongings and store them for next year

Printed from TickYouOff — the interactive version tracks your progress and can be shared with others.