Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is a holiday that is celebrated in Mexico and by people of Mexican descent all over the world between November 1st and 2nd. The holiday has been around for centuries, before Mexico was colonized by Spain, and the tradition is to honor deceased loved ones and encourage their spiritual journey. I did not grow up with this tradition, but I really love the concept of creating a celebration specifically dedicated to those that have passed on. If you are of Mexican heritage looking to create a Dia de los Muertos altar, a teacher wanting to teach a lesson on this cultural tradition, or if you just want to have a little token of appreciation for the holiday, these day of the dead candle wraps are great for so many purposes.
There is a lot of symbolism in Dia de los Muertos traditions, and each color involved in the celebration has a different meaning. Black represents death itself, while pink represents joy in paying tribute to loved ones. White signifies renewal and hope. I love this sentiment – finding happiness in grief. Day of the Dead altars are adorned in marigolds, and oranges and yellows act as a light that guides the dead to the Dia de los Muertos altar. It is the combination of all of these elements that fascinates me most about this holiday, so I wanted to include each of these colors in our set of day of the dead candle wraps. The wraps feature intricate papercut designs with skulls, a very common decoration for the occasion. Metallic text weight paper is the perfect material for these day of the dead candle wraps with its vibrant shimmer.
Tools
- Cricut Explore Air 2 (recommended)
- Craft Scissors
- Tape or Adhesive Dot Roller
Materials
- Text Weight Frosted Paper – Stardream Metallic Onyx, Stardream Metallic Flame, Stardream Metallic Crystal, Stardream Metallic Azalea, Curious Metallics Super Gold
- Tall Pillar Candles
- String or Twine
Instructions
Download the SVG version to use with a cutting machine, or print the PDF if you are cutting by hand. If you are using the PDF version, print onto regular copy paper. Once you cut out the day of the dead candle wraps, simply tape them onto your candles. We found our tall white candles in a glass container at our local grocery store. Even though I am not Mexican, I am keeping one of these candles on my bookcase as a little reminder of the holiday.
More to Explore
If you are interested in other Day of the Dead decorations, be sure to look at our papel picado or skull designs. Browse our membership page to join our crafting community or follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for photos of our daily makes! ~ Lia & team
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5 Comments
[…] Day Of The Dead Candle Wraps – Lia Griffith […]
love the hand tied bouquet in the first photo. is there a pattern for that? or can you share what pattern was used to make it?
That’s actually a flower piñata we made awhile ago! https://liagriffith.com/make-a-paper-flower-pinata/
[…] of the Dead traditions to help us think more about this. Specifically, we can look at the idea of Day of the Dead candles as an opportunity to think about Day of the Dead altars and the role fire and warmth can play as […]
[…] Day of the Dead Candle Wraps from Lia Griffith […]