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The Love of Creating an Altar
By Ginette R. Rondeau
Here in Los Angeles, and south of the border, many of us have adopted this beautiful tradition of Dia De Los Muertos. Although there are traditional ways of creating the ofrenda, there is no recipe or manual for this type of artistic expression, as we keep the traditional meaning of Dia De Los Muertos as a celebration to honor our beloved ones.
A few years ago a UCLA student wanted to create an altar for her grandmother. She brought a roll of Victorian styled wallpaper and a yellow canary. When I asked her how her altar would relate to Dia De Los Muertos she replied, “When I was a young child, I would come over to visit my grandmother who lived in a Victorian home. It was beautiful and she was a very lovely woman. I came across the wallpaper and it reminded me of the wallpaper in her bedroom. She would speak to her yellow canary and it would sing to her.” This was a way this young woman could pay homage to her grandmother. Even though it didn’t have the traditional elements, it had the true meaning of Dia De Los Muertos.
Another man who always attended the Annual Dia De Los Muertos Juried Exhibition told me that his mother had died earlier in the year. After a few months of mourning, he began to give away some of her personal belongings. When he came across a hat and a pair of gloves, his memory jogged to the many wonderful times he had shared with her. He decided to keep them. When Dia De Los Muertos came later that year, he brought them out. He placed a photograph of his mother, brought a glass of water, added flowers and a candle. He said the experience was surprisingly very healing because even though she was not here anymore, he felt there was something he could do to pay his respect to her. Then he asked me in a very serious tone: “I’m Jewish not Mexican. Is that all right?” I had a big smile and we both embraced.
In either case, both of these people were touched by someone very special in their life. They were moved to create an offering, which they could express their love and reflect upon all those special memories. Therefore, it is important to remember that when you create your altar, just follow your heart. You will then continue the path of the spirit of “Dia De Los Muertos!”
Preparing an Altar (Traditional or Non-Traditional)
If you’d like to prepare an altar for a deceased loved one, here are a few questions you might want to ask yourself. As you answer each question, let your love of the person and your own creativity guide you.
- Who would you like to honor? Why that person?
- What would you like the altar to look like? Would you use a table? A shelf? Or would you build the altar yourself? Would you paint the altar or make a drawing to display on it? What color would you like it to be? Will it be a big altar or a small one? Will it be fancy, modern, frilly, serious, or jubilant?
- What mementoes of that person do you already have that you could place on the altar? What new items would you like to add?
- What were his or her favorite foods? His or her favorite pastimes? His or her biggest passions? How will you represent these? Did he or she love animals, music, theatre, travel, sports, or art? If the loved one was a child, what was his or her favorite toy?
- What stories could you share about that person? What is your favorite memory of him or her? How would you portray these stories on the altar?
- Who would you invite to view your altar? Why?
- How do you think you could benefit by adopting this tradition in your own life?
You might want to make designing an altar to honor deceased loved ones a yearly tradition in your family. If you choose to do so, just remember, it is not what you put on the altar that is important; it is that it represents the spirit of that person and your heartfelt tribute.
Feliz Dia De Los Muertos!
© by Ginette R. Rondeau, Los Angeles, CA.
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