17 Dia de los Muertos decoration and ofrenda ideas to add soul to your celebration
Combining elements from Indigenous Mexican culture and Catholic traditions, el Dia de los Muertos (Dia de Muertos), or the Day of the Dead, is a special kind of holiday that celebrates family in a unique way. Every year on November 1st, Mexicans honor children from their families who have died. And on November 2nd, they honor adult family members who have died. Both days are about distant ancestors and recently deceased family members returning from Heaven to Earth to reunite with family for one day.
As these family members trek back to the world of the living, their relatives welcome them with food, drink, and a festive atmosphere. The celebration typically involves an ofrenda—or altar—with displays of pictures of the deceased or items they’re fond of to help them find their way home. This is the first stop for the deceased, where they can fuel up for the day’s festivities.
Other festivities often include Dia de los Muertos parties, where decorations, food, and activities fit with each individual family’s interests. If you’re ready to honor your ancestors, we’ve rounded up 17 Dia de los Muertos decoration ideas to get you started, including ofrenda ideas, party decorations, and food options that will add to the meaning of the holiday.
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Dia de los Muertos ofrenda ideas
Knowing how to decorate an altar for Dia de los Muertos doesn’t always come naturally. That’s why it’s helpful to start with the basics. Set up the ofrenda by October 28th, which is the day people are honored who died accidentally or tragically. Then, on each day of the festivities, add offerings that are special to the honored family members.
You’ll also need a small table with three different height levels for offerings:
- The table itself represents the underworld
- The next level represents Earth
- The highest level represents Heaven or something similar
Some people use gravestones as the ofrenda, as well. No matter the base, you can create the levels using boxes, crates, cake stands, or anything that will stand on its own. Then incorporate Dia de los Muertos altar decorations like the ones below that add bright colors and unique symbols to your ofrenda.
1. Brightly colored tablecloth
Ancient Aztecs believed wearing bright colors helped keep evil spirits at bay and resulted in the favor of the gods. So, a brightly colored tablecloth will help your deceased loved ones safely make their visit.
2. Marigolds
Known as cempasúchil in Spanish, the distinct smell of marigolds is believed to help lead souls home and to ward off evil. As a native Mexican flower, it makes sense that the orange-yellow variety is popular on ofrendas. When possible, a trail of petals leading from a person’s grave to their family ofrenda can also help guide souls home.
3. Family photos
Adding photos of the souls of deceased family members helps keep their memory alive, but it always ensures they know you’re expecting them. Use small, ornate picture frames, so you can fit everyone on the ofrenda.
4. Dia de los Muertos cards, keepsakes, and mementos
Adding favorite items of the souls you’re honoring shows them that their memory is still alive and well. You can also add new mementos like personalized cards from living family members who are unable to be at the festivities.
5. Candles and incense
Candles provide light to help souls find their way home. Add one candle for each family member you’re honoring. And the incense helps keep evil spirits from crashing the party.
6. Pitcher of water
Traveling from the beyond back to Earth is a long and arduous journey, so a pitcher of water allows souls to replenish their energy. It’s also a symbol of life.
7. Pan de muerto
Pan de muerto is a sweet Mexican bread that’s often left for souls to help replenish their energy after their long journey. However, you can replace this bread with your loved ones’ favorite foods, too.
Dia de los Muertos decoration ideas
After your ofrenda is set up, it’s time to decorate the rest of your home. Whether you’re celebrating on your own or hosting a party, adding Dia de los Muertos decorations shows returning souls and neighbors that you’re welcoming family home.
Most Dia de los Muertos décor features bright colors like red, orange, pink, yellow, and blue. Many people also add traditional Mexican decorations and icons, like papel picado, calaveras, and calacas as well as traditional Catholic items, like saint candles. There are loads of DIY decorations you can make for a more personal touch, or you can browse Paperless Post Party Shop for many of the decoration ideas listed below.
8. Tissue paper fans
Whether you make them from sheets of tissue paper or assemble them from paper fan kits, yellow and orange paper fans resemble marigolds—and they’ll last longer than the real thing.
9. Calavera pumpkins
White pumpkins are easy to find in all different sizes during fall—and they make the perfect base for a skull decoration to add to your Dia de los Muertos outdoor decorations. You can paint them or use decorative push pins to make elaborate calavera faces.
10. DIY calaca
Create a full calaca using porcelain figurines and plastic skulls. Then, add modeling paste, paint, and cloth to create any type of calaca you want.
11. Calaca windsock
Add this simple windsock to your Dia de los Muertos outdoor decorations. It features a calaca woman that sways in the wind like a soul might.
12. Flower sugar skull
Starting with a block of floral foam carved into a loose skull shape, you can easily combine marigolds and sugar skulls into this decoration. Simply fill out the skull with white flowers, then use orange marigolds for the eyes or cheeks and other marigold colors to add more designs.
13. DIY nichos
Nichos are small picture frames that are like shadow boxes. Print out the DIY template, then cut, glue, and color. These brightly colored picture frames are perfect for holding family photos on or off the ofrenda.
14. Glowing Day of the Dead sugar skulls
Gather some plastic white eggs or ping pong balls, LED tealight candles, a Sharpie, glue, and a little imagination to create these cute candles. The materials should all hold up well outside, and you can use them to line your walkway or decorate an outdoor table.
15. Dia de los Muertos wreath
Wreaths are easy Dia de los Muertos door decorations that show guests you’re celebrating before they even enter your home. A themed wreath can help welcome souls into your home, as well.
16. Plastic papel picado bunting
From your front porch to your back deck or even around a family cemetery plot, this plastic version of papel picado can withstand rain and wind when displayed outdoors, so you can hang it for years to come.
17. Dia de Muertos Mexican flag
You can show your Mexican pride and your commitment to honoring your ancestors with a large porch flag. If you’re living in a country—like the United States—where flag etiquette is serious business, hang this one below your US flag.
Celebrate the Day of the Dead with Paperless Post
Dia de los Muertos is an individualized celebration of life. But it’s also all about family, which means you’ll want to invite all your living relatives to honor your family’s souls with you. Paperless Post has a wide selection of Day of the Dead designs for Dia de los Muertos invitations that you can choose from. Or send an animated Paperless Post Flyer for a modern, personalized reminder of the festivities ahead.
If you want to make your own Dia de los Muertos invitations that people can save as mementos, try some of these easy ideas:
- Cut your own paper designs out of heavy-weight paper and add wording for papel picado invitations.
- Use skull or skeleton cookie cutters to help you draw calaveras and calacas onto paper invitations using brightly colored markers.
- Find a translator tool if you don’t speak Spanish to write your full invitation in the language.
The way your family participates in Dia de los Muertos is totally up to you. Consider the predominant belief system in your extended family and how you can celebrate individually and as a larger group. Then, take some time to think about how to guide souls home and honor them, and use your family’s personal interests and history to create Day of the Dead ofrendas, invitations, and festivities that your family will remember for a lifetime.
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