Bright orange marigold petals were scattered throughout Potrero del Sol Park as people celebrated the lives of those who have died as a part of Dia de los Muertos festivities.
The annual Festival of Altars returned to the Mission District park for its 34th year with the help of The Marigold Project, a foundation dedicated to hosting the event and providing cultural education. This year’s theme was Familia: Entre raíces y el Cielo – Family: Between roots and Heaven.
San Franciscans explored dozens of intricately decorated altars fitted with candles, sugar skulls, and pictures of loved ones who have moved on from this life. Throughout the night, entertainment included live music from bands and mariachi as well as traditional ceremonies associated with the holiday.
Organizers held an altar building workshop followed by several stations that allowed people to interact with altars as a way to honor the lives of the dead. The event grew to include a local artisan market, the Mercado de Muertos, along the park perimeter.
In Mexico, Dia de Los Muertos was born as Catholic traditions like All Saints Day weaved together with indigenous practices following the brutal Spanish conquest of Mexico. In the Mission, it began slowly and then grew throughout the 1980s as residents mourned gang violence, AIDS and the Central American wars.
Dia de los Muertos has also become a source of pride for many people looking to celebrate their indigenous heritage. For others it has become an opportunity to showcase their culture’s colorful and dynamic elements, whether they have direct ties to Mexico or felt a close connection from other parts of Latin America.
Veronica Estia made an altar at the park, her second time after starting the previous year. She said being in a community to remember her family “brings chills all over my body” and the colorful atmosphere reminds people to be together.
One of the celebration’s most prominent symbols is the cempaxochtll – the Nahuatl name of the marigold flower native to Mexico. Its bright orange petals coupled with a deep fragrance are said to help guide souls from their burial places to the homes of those remembering them.
While a plethora of sugar skulls and conversations of death surround the holiday, people come together to celebrate the lives of the people they knew. For some people, like this son of Mexican parents, the day symbolizes a time to smile as you can remember the songs you listened to with your Abuela Guty or the time you helped in your Abuelo’s farmland.
Candles will burn out, flowers will return to the soil, and Dia de los Muertos celebrations will soon come to an end, but the memories of those important to us will always remain.
