Marigolds, candles, salt and bread: what the items on a Día de los Muertos ofrenda mean
Coming Up: A short guide to the altars honoring loved ones this weekend, and where to see ofrendas in Omaha.
OMAHA - Día de los Muertos is a time for families to honor loved ones who have died, often with an ofrenda, an altar of offerings.
El Museo Latino says it blends Aztec and Christian traditions; Joslyn Castle calls it a Mesoamerican tradition dating back 3,000 years.
Mexico's national anthropology institute (INAH) and Education Ministry (SEP) explain common items:
- Water eases the souls' thirst after their long journey.
- Candles: their flame guides the dead home.
- Papel picado, cut paper, adds color and stands for the wind, or air.
- Marigolds, or cempasúchil, perfume the altar and mark a path to it.
- Salt purifies and helps the soul make its passage.
- Copal and incense cleanse the space and keep evil spirits away.
- Pan de muerto expresses affection and kinship toward the dead.
- Sugar skulls represent death as Mesoamerican cultures understood it.
- A photo shows who is being honored.
Traditions vary by region, INAH notes; families often add favorite foods or belongings.
Ofrendas are on view at Joslyn Castle through Nov. 6 and in El Museo Latino's Day of the Dead exhibition through Nov. 21.
Source: INAH; SEP; El Museo Latino; Joslyn Castle; opened Oct. 31, 2026.