via Wikimedia Commons

An ofrenda is an altar or offering to the dead, decorated with candles, photos and flowers. There is usually food such as fruit, tamales, pan de muerto (bread of the dead). These are intended to welcome the dead on their annual journey and return to the realm of the living to help secure their blessings in the future.

DeMello, Margo. "El Día De Los Muertos." The American Mosaic: The Latino American Experience, ABC-CLIO, 2021, latinoamerican2-abc-clio-com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/Topics/Display/2264222?cid=41&sid=2264222.