By Kalent Zaiz, Editor-in-Chief of KZAIZ MAGAZINE
Día de Muertos is not a sad day. It is a day to welcome back the people we love with flowers, light, food and their names said out loud. In Mexico it is marked on November 1 and 2, and the second date falls on a Monday this time, so there is still room to build a small ofrenda at home.
What Día de Muertos really is
It is a Mexican tradition that UNESCO added to its list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2008. The idea at its heart is simple and beautiful: for a short time the dead come back, and the living get ready to welcome them. Families build an ofrenda, an altar with photographs, candles, flowers, food and drinks, and the celebrations begin in late October and run into early November.
It is also not "Mexican Halloween." The two holidays share a calendar, not a meaning. One is about costumes and scares. The other is about love, memory and gratitude.
Why this tradition speaks to so many of us
Almost every family has its own way of remembering the people it misses: a song that always plays, a recipe nobody can quite copy, a story retold at every holiday table. Día de Muertos gives that instinct a shape. It says remembering is not something we do quietly and alone. We do it together, with color, music and food.
For bilingual families it can also be a gentle bridge between generations. A grandparent explains the flowers, a child asks about the candles, and the answers travel in whichever language feels closest to the heart.
Build a simple ofrenda in five steps
- Pick a spot. A shelf, a table or a corner of the counter is enough. Put a cloth over a few books or boxes to make levels.
- Place their photo in the center. One face is plenty.
- Add light and flowers. Candles (flameless ones are a good choice with kids or pets) and marigolds, called cempasúchil, the golden flower most people picture. Paper marigolds work too.
- Offer what they loved. A favorite dish, a cup of coffee, something sweet, or pan de muerto. Need a dessert idea? Try our chocolate soufflé with a Latin twist.
- Say their name and tell a story. Out loud. That is the part that matters most.
Make it personal
There is no single correct way to do this at home, so let your own family guide you. A few ideas:
- Play the music they loved, softly, while you set things out.
- Write them a short note and leave it beside the photo.
- Invite the children to draw something for the ofrenda or tell their favorite story about the person.
- If family is far away, share a picture of your ofrenda in a group chat and ask everyone to add a memory.
A word of respect
If Día de Muertos is not part of your own family's traditions, you are welcome to learn from it. Read, listen to the people who celebrate it, and treat the ofrenda as a place of memory, never as a costume theme or party decoration.
Can't build one at home? See altars in Los Angeles
Gloria Molina Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles is hosting a free exhibition of community-made altars through November 2, at 200 N. Grand Ave. Check the park's own page for hours before you go.
However you remember, do it with warmth
You do not need a big altar or a perfect recipe. You need a photo, a light and a few minutes to say, "I remember you." If you build an ofrenda this week, tell us about it.
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