In Mexico and Latin American Culture, yesterday and even today can be days to celebrate and acknowledge your ancestors. In Mexico, cookies and candies are brought to the final resting place of ancestors and left there. Liquor is brought and candles are lit.
The Catholic Church uses November 1 to celebrate All Saint’s Day. Think of it as a less Latin version of the Day of the Dead. The Litany of the Saints will often be said at mass on this day. And it’s an ideal time to give special thanks and attention to any favorite saints you pray to or work with. You don’t have to be hispanic or Catholic to honor your ancestors who have gone before you.
You can light a candle at any time. You can always whisper a “thank you” when you have moments where you just know someone was watching out for you, helping to make something happen. You can keep a running list (literally, a list of names on paper) of saints and of loved ones you always want to especially remember and keep it on your ancestor altar.
And anybody can create an ancestor altar. You just need a surface. You can use any table or the top of a dresser or even a nightstand you don’t use. You can decorate it any way you want to – it’s your ancestor altar for your ancestors. You can have things there that remind you of them, or that they once owned or that you know they would have liked. It’s common for people to leave a small amount of liquor and a glass of water. You can leave candies or any sort of food you think they would have liked (just throw it out after a few hours). You can have candles there, plants, perfume, jewelry…the list goes on and on. Pictures of loved ones who have recently passed too are often on ancestor altars. It’s a simple way to venerate the deceased and to remind them that you haven’t forgotten about them.
I light some incense that I keep on my altar every morning and say good morning to some special saints I pray to (I have prayer cards and some small statutes of them) and to my ancestors. I ask them to watch over me as I go through my day and I thank them for their guidance and protection.
If thing are confusing for you, a tarot reading or an intuitive reading might help bring some clarity to the situation. You can order a reading at my shop OracleIndigo on Etsy.