With Día de los Muertos right around the corner, you may have found yourself searching for a few finishing pieces for your altar, or ofrenda.
Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a holiday derived from Mexico and even has some ancient Aztec roots. Different regions celebrate on different days, with some celebrations beginning in late October. In America, Mexicans typically begin celebrating on Nov. 1, though ofrendas can be seen in homes, businesses and gathering places during the weeks prior.
Ofrendas are one of the most sacred parts of Día de los Muertos, as it allows families and friends to gather sentimental items that hold significance and connect them with loved ones who have passed away. Ofrenda translates to “offerings,” as the altars are made to honor and remember loved ones by placing food, candles, decorations, photos and other items they enjoyed.
Everyone celebrates their loved ones differently, and there’s no one right way to put together an ofrenda. As long as you are using the space to honor deceased loved ones, an ofrenda can look like whatever you’re able to put together.
There are a few staples in traditional ofrendas that hold a deeper meaning, such as candles, papel picado and pan de muerto, many of which can be found in Latin-owned businesses in Long Beach. This time of cultural celebration is a great opportunity to support Mexican small businesses in Long Beach for your ofrenda rather than buying items from a large retailer.
Cempazúchitl, or Marigolds
Mexican marigolds hold a cultural significance year-round in Mexico, but especially during Día de los Muertos. According to the Desert Botanical Garden, cempazúchitl was held in high regard by the Aztecs, who believed the flower had great healing properties. On an ofrenda, cempazúchitl is meant to represent the vibrant lives being celebrated, and the bright color and strong scent guide spirits to their ofrendas, where they can visit their living loved ones.
People sometimes spread the petals out on the altar or create a path to their ofrenda, while others keep the flowers in vases or laid out in bouquets.
Ricardo’s Plant and Tree Nursery: This Latino-owned nursery is beloved in the community, and has plenty of fresh marigolds for your ofrenda. The marigolds at Ricardo’s are sitting in plastic pots of soil, with many of them just opening up so they will stay alive throughout Día de los Muertos. Ricardo is almost always on the premises and will give you specific tips to help your cempazúchitl thrive.
Ricardo’s Nursery is located at 6850 Atlantic Ave. and open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Vida Plant Shop: This tiny plant shop is located inside local coffee shop Good Time, so you can pick up one of their fall-themed drinks while shopping for marigolds. Their cempazúchitl comes in fresh bouquets and mixed with eucalyptus to create a cleansing scent, though the two can be separated if needed. The plant corner also includes several pots, vases and small plants if you’re honoring any plant lovers on your ofrenda.
Vida Plant Shop is located at 1322 Coronado Ave. and open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and until 9 p.m. on Fridays.
Deja Vu Flower & Botanica: This is the perfect destination for all your Day of the Dead needs. If locals need a one-stop shop for the holiday, this is it. The business doubles as a flower shop and botanica, with a wide offering of flowers as well as spiritual tools. Different candles imbued with spiritual meaning can be found in spades, as well as a wide variety of figures and decorations to place on an altar. Deja Vu Flower and Botanica is set to receive a fresh batch of marigolds on Nov. 1. While they shop, customers can admire the impressive ofrenda set up within the botanica, adorned with photos of the owner’s loved ones, flowers, sculptures and more.
Deja Vu Flower & Botanica is located at 2628 E Anaheim St., and is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Candles
Candles on an ofrenda are meant to symbolize the light that guides spirits back to the land of the living. Traditionally, one candle is lit for each soul on the ofrenda, and extra candles are placed for forgotten souls. Some people place their candles in a row leading up to the ofrenda, and others organize them in the shape of a cross to represent the cardinal directions and further help to guide souls.
Adelitas Revenge: This LGBTQ, Latina-owned small business centers its work on culture, healing and connection, making them the perfect shop to stock up on your ofrenda candles. Adelitas Revenge boasts a wide variety of candles and other items ranging from a traditional feel to those with a cultural modern twist. They just released a limited edition Fernando Valenzuela candle, and they have a wide range of other candles featuring calaveras, loteria cards and other pop culture images.
Adelitas Revenge is located at 4007 E Fourth St. and open Wednesdays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cinply Essentials: This artisanal candle and self-care shop has Mexican and Salvadorian roots, and their candles come in sugar skull mugs, as taper candles adorned with wax marigolds and sugar skulls and in traditional-style vases and pots. All of the containers can be recycled and reused after, to decorate your ofrenda for years to come. Cinply Essentials’ wide variety of candles are sure to brighten up your ofrenda, and can offer a touch of personality to everyone honored on the ofrenda.
Cinply Essentials is located at several retailers in Long Beach and beyond, such as the Museum of Latin American Art, Fair Trade Long Beach, Mi Cultura Riverside, Artelexia in San Diego, Casa y Cosina, and Casa Palma y Dulce. They also take online orders.
Pan de Muerto, and Other Treats
Food and drinks is one of the best ways to personalize an ofrenda, and people tend to leave their loved one’s favorite treats out for them. Ofrendas are often seen with cigarettes, alcohol, candies or more traditional items like tamales, mole, pan dulce and pan de muerto.
Since it’s believed that deceased loved ones are returning to visit during these days, leaving their favorite foods out for them, or cooking a meal for them is tradition. Pan de Muerto represents the Earth in the ofrenda, and translates to “bread of the dead.”
Panderia Marilu (Marilus Bakery): Alongside pan de muerto, this traditional Central American bakery offers plenty of other pan dulce, along with Guatemalan-style tamales wrapped in banana leaves, as well as the iconic Chapin breakfast, which make perfect offerings for those who loved these foods in life.
Panderia Marilu is located at 1400 Cherry Ave. and open daily from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Monica’s Bakery: This traditional pandaria sells a wide variety of pan dulce, including pan de muerto. It’s also an opportunity to pick up the favorite sweet treats of dearly departed loved ones to place on the altar for them, whether they loved conchas, orejas, cuernos and more.
Monica’s Bakery is located at 133 W Anaheim St., and open from 5 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, and 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday.
La Esperanza Restaurant: Pick up pan de muerto to take home or enjoy it with your meal or coffee at this local Guatemalan restaurant. They also offer different flavors of pan de muerto, including orange blossom water and anise, topped with either sugar or sesame seeds. Be warned though, as of Thursday morning supplies were running low, as these iconic cultural sweet treats fly off the shelf. Consider calling the bakery at (562) 269-0486 first in case they run out before you can get there.
La Esperanza Restaurant is located at 1626 Orange Ave., and is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Gusto Bread: This beloved Latin-owned bakery has everything you need for the food aspect of your ofrenda, as one of the few bakeries in Long Beach that serve pan de muerto. Their pan de muerto is filled with cream, large enough to share and made with flour from a local farm. They also have pan dulce (sweet bread), champurrado cooked with their house-made masa and stone ground dark chocolate and hand-painted calavera macarons filled with café de olla buttercream. Gusto Bread is not taking pre-orders for these items, and they are being sold now through Sunday, Nov. 3, while supplies last.
Gusto Bread is located at 2710 E. Fourth St. and open Wednesdays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Pueblita tortillas: This Mexican-owned small business is one of Long Beach’s best kept secret places to get fresh tortillas. Their tortillas are made fresh on the day of pick-up, and are a perfect way to honor older generations who grew up eating homemade tortillas daily. Pueblita Tortillas was started out of a longing for home-cooked Mexican food and is rooted in family tradition, and each month they donate a majority of their proceeds to a different organization or campaign, according to its website.
Pueblita Tortillas operates on a made-to-order basis, and the location on Fourth Street will be shared when customers place an online order.
Trinkets:
One of the best ways to honor a loved one with an ofrenda is by adding personalized trinkets that remind you of them. This is also where people add items that belonged to the person, such as jewelry, favorite toys, accessories or other items.
Adelitas Revenge: This small business offers more than candles to light up your ofrenda. They also have pins, mugs, mini ofrendas to satisfy a small living space or to put on top of your main ofrenda, papel picado, and tons of mini items to make your ofrenda feel special for the people you’re honoring, such as bottles, vases, calaveras, sugar skulls and more.
While the shop offers their share of traditional Chicano items, they also boast a modern take on Mexican-American heritage, so people of every generation on your ofrenda can be honored with items to represent them.
Amarte: With trinkets, jewelry and candles that are sourced straight from Mexico, Amarte can give your ofrenda an authentic feel, made with love, per the shop’s name. The shop carries mugs, coffee, Frida Khalo essentials, hand-woven clothing and bags, handmade dolls and much more.
Amarte is located at 4105 N Bellflower Blvd. Unit A.
Vallarta Supermarkets: This Mexican supermarket is a short drive out of Long Beach, located in Carson, but has all the finishing touches for an ofrenda, including papel picado, which is a bit harder to find. This shop has an entire section of Mexican candy and a wide selection of pan dulce, and all the fixings of a regular supermarket so you can grab supplies for tamales, mole or homemade pan de muerto here. The store also carries small alebrije figurines (the animals that help guide spirits), small toys and colorful traditional serape blankets to lay down as the base of your ofrenda.
Vallarta Supermarkets is located at 110 E Carson St. and open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Other Items for your Ofrenda
The most important and useful decorations to complete your ofrenda are also the easiest to find for most people; Photos of loved ones are often the centerpiece of an ofrenda, and if you have an altar with multiple tiers, these photos and most personal items go on the top tiers.
People also leave out some incense along with to welcome spirits, salt either in a small bowl or in the shape of a cross to help purify souls and a vase of water to quench their thirst after the journey.
