AUSTIN — Dia de los Muertos has arrived, and people from around the world will be out celebrating it through Friday, Nov. 2.
While it may appear like it to some, Dia de los Muertos is not related to Halloween. The Mexican holiday is celebrated to honor souls who have passed on.
During the celebration, families will gather around cemeteries to pay respect to their loved ones. Many will also build alters for their relatives, where they will lay out gifts for the dead.
So how do you build an alter, or 'ofrenda?'
An article in Texas Monthly shows you the proper items to gather when building an alter.
The article states that you will first need a large photograph of your loved one, which will serve as a centerpiece on the alter. You will then add things like water, fruit punch, Pan de Muerto (bread of the dead), salt, favorite foods of the deceased, items the deceased used to own, papel picado, four candles, sugar skulls, and burning copal,
RELATED:
According to the article, the items left serve as gifts, guidance, remembrance, and have other meanings as the spirits of the dead come back to visit.
The holiday comes to an end tomorrow.