Thread by @cookcountygov

Feliz #DiaDeMuertos. Have you had a chance to visit our ofrenda in the lobby of our County building?

Dia de Muertos, or #DayOfTheDead, is a Mexican celebration honoring those who have passed away. An ofrenda, or altar, is put together to honor their memory. Ofrendas have a lot of symbolism, here are the main ones:

🔥 fire in the form of candles are symbols of our love for our deceased relatives and guiding lights for their spirits
🧂salt is usually placed on a plate and stops the souls of the deceased from being corrupted by earthly temptations

◻️ papel picado, or perforated paper, are a representation of the union between life and death
🌼 🌸yellow flowers, or cempazuchitl, are a guide for the spirits into the mortal world; white flowers represent the sky; purple flowers are the traditional color of mourning

⚫️incense or sage to purify the souls of the dead and ward off evil spirits
💧a glass of water is often placed on the altar to quench the thirst of the deceased and strengthen them for their return journey

🍞🍊🍇 to celebrate the arrival of the deceased loved ones, a banquet of their favorite food and drink items is placed as an offering, and includes traditional Pan de Muerto or Day of the Dead bread

💀calaveras, or skulls, are representations of deceased relatives
➕ a cross is drawn on the ground under the altar and originally represents the four cardinal points, now is also a representation of the Christian cross

Special thanks to @ExploreNMMA for their guidance in preparing the ofrenda.