From Garfield Square to 24th Street to Mission Street, the neighborhood played host to Día de los Muertos Thursday. Centered in Garfield Square, the celebration gave attendees a chance to remember loved ones who have passed on. Dozens of altars honored grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends. (All photos by Sam-Omar Hall)
All month, residents and tourists have visited the panaderias in the Mission District to purchase the pan de muertos, a sweet bread traditionally made in the weeks leading up to the Day of the Dead or Día de Los Muertos. It’s as if the bread was a Mission tradition. But, only 42 years ago, it was not common fare. “We...
The Mission will remember and honor the dead this Thursday, Nov. 2, with the annual Día de los Muertos altars at Garfield Square and procession through the neighborhood – which the Marigold Project is raising funds for to cover permitting and other costs of putting on the event. Organizations throughout the neighborhood are also arranging for special events to mark...
On Wednesday, a crowd of more than 2,000 people gathered in the Mission for an annual festival of altars and procession commemorating the Día de Los Muertos Mexican ancestral holiday. San Francisco natives and visitors alike turned out for the event, which we covered all night here. Get to know a few of the people who stopped to talk tradition,...
As Rebekah Sitty approached the corner of Harrison and 26th streets in the Mission, a 12-foot tall rainbow welcomed her into the Day of the Dead altar festival. Sitty, who was joined by her partner and her two-year-old son on Wednesday night, has been coming to the celebration for 25 years. The first feelings that hit her were happiness and...
10:05 p.m. — We’re signing off as Day of the Dead celebrations wind down in the Mission. Scroll down for photos, videos and stories from this year’s festival of altars and procession — then be sure to check back Thursday for more coverage! It’s Día de Los Muertos, which means San Francisco is headed to the Mission. Check the updating...
Today could have been different for the Nietos. They thought their son Alex Nieto would have a permanent memorial in Bernal Heights by the time Día de los Muertos came. They envisioned leading the annual procession of mourners from the memorial to Garfield Park, where he and other victims of police violence would be honored at public altars. “We want...
In his four years living on the streets, Richard Ramirez watched three fellow homeless people die. One man passed away in his arms. “Apparently he had walking pneumonia,” Ramirez said. “He didn’t even know he had it. He literally just fell from his feet straight to the ground.” Ramirez recounted the story for a crowd of some 25 people who...
After eight months of arranging incognito border crossings for highly in-demand Donald Trump piñatas, Nancy Charraga is enjoying a change of pace. The last few days have been a whirlwind of sugar skulls, technicolor paper flowers and other seasonal décor sought out by clientele of her Valencia Street shop, Casa Bonampak — all ahead of celebrations for the Día de...
René Yañez is widely credited with bringing the tradition of dia de los muertos to live in San Francisco, but this year, the Day of the Dead exhibition he curated at SOMArts Cultural Center is both acutely local and nationally relevant. This year’s compilation of artistic offerings, A Promise Not to Forget, pays tribute to several recently passed local artists. Among...
Hundreds of people gathered in the Mission last night to watch a procession of skeletons on stilts, indigenous dancers, skeleton-painted faces, and candle-holding participants commemorating their passed ancestors and loved ones. Crowds thronged 24th Street, spilling from packed sidewalks onto the street, with their phones overhead to catch the march going by. Some darted into barber shops, where they could get their face painted...
Chances are, you’ve seen Cindy DeLosa’s work in windows around the Mission: small dioramas with “homie” figurines depicting iconic scenes and moments in the neighborhood. The “homie boxes,” as they’re called, can be spotted everywhere, but if you want to see about a dozen of them in one place, head for the window galley at Precita Eyes on 24th Street, where Cindy...
Thousands came to the Mission last night for the annual Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead celebrations, a traditional Meso-American holiday in which the living honor the deceased. Families and friends started to gather at 4 p.m. at Garfield Park to build, display or view the altars of loved ones who are no longer around. The young...
