Day of the Dead! We made our Ofrenda and ate Pan de muerto + sweet potato

Published on October 31, 2025.

It’s one day before the Day of the Dead, and we decided to have a small meeting to celebrate this tradition. Our students and former students set up the ofrenda (altar) with different elements:

• Water, which symbolizes the source of life, because whether you are in the afterlife or in this world, there must always be water to quench thirst.
• Fruit, which represents peace and abundance, since when the dead return, they want to taste the fruits of this world once again.
• Candles and marigold flowers (cempasúchil), which serve as the light that guides the souls of the departed back home, both from a pre-Hispanic and Catholic perspective.
• Bread, which symbolizes the cycle of life and death: the soft part of the bread represents our body, while the crunchy edges symbolize our bones.
• Skulls, which are a reminder that death is always present.
• Colorful papel picado (cut paper decorations), where each color variation represents different moments and the diversity of life.
• Photographs of loved ones, which act as the anchor that souls have to this world and who will continue to return to enjoy the ofrenda prepared for them by their loved ones.

On the Day of the Dead, life and death are united in one meaning to remember that one day we will all have our photo on an altar, and also to remind us to enjoy life, with all its colors and flavors, while we are still in this world.

And for tha reason, we also had a small breakfast to celebrate life in the company of new friends and people. We had:

• Pan de muerto (Day of the Dead bread)
• Camote enmielado (sweet potatoes cooked in syrup)

Along with coffee and milk (the sweet potatoes taste better when you add milk).

Don’t forget to set up your own ofrenda at home with all the traditional elements of a Day of the Dead altar and eat well to enjoy life!

And if you want to better understand Mexico and the Spanish language, check out the classes we have for you!