An ofrenda is a home altar with a collection of objects (photos, belongings and gifts) during the annual and traditionally Mexican Día de Muertos celebration. An ofrenda, which may be quite large and elaborate, is usually created for an individual person who has died and is intended to welcome them to the altar setting.

After watching The Book of Life, my littlest one wanted us to celebrate this tradition in our home. This is our first year taking part and we have decided we would honour our closest relatives that have passed on. We’ve decorated our ofrenda with candles, linen and pictures of our deceased family members. It was a bit of a challenge finding loose marigolds to scatter across our alter but I managed to locate a potted plant. I was instructed by Miss 10, it had to be marigolds and that they must be orange. Haha!

In modern Mexico the marigold is sometimes called Flor de Muerto (‘Flower of Dead’). These flowers are thought to attract souls of the dead to the offerings. It is also believed the bright petals with a strong scent can guide the souls from cemeteries to their family homes. – From Wikipedia

We will light candles and burn incense to welcome our family on the 2nd of November, the Day of the Dead. I expect we won’t have a full meal arrive on our table from Grandma like Coco did but it’s fun to learn about other cultures whilst we can’t travel at this time.