As a Mexican girl I’ve always been very interested on the Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration not just because we remember those who passed away but because of the bright colors and patterns of the decorations and the smell of the cempasúchil (marigold) flowers; I really find it very inspiring. I also remember that I used to participate in a lot of altar contests in my high school and middle school. That’s why I couldn’t miss the opportunity to go to the multiple celebrations in Mission Street at San Francisco, CA. So, my roommate and I took the first Bart train of the night and went. Our expectations were poor actually. We thought that because it’s a Mexican celebration and not an Anglo one it was going to be a small festival, but when we got there our expectations were totally exceeded.
All the streets where full of people, and there was an altar outside of each store. I was amazed that even when they weren’t Mexican they had an altar for their family or friends. People from all nationalities were waiting for the parade to start, which was going to begin in the 22 st. & Bryant and end in the Garfield Park. The parade was amazing. Hundreds of Catrinas and Catrines were walking through the streets of mission and people were dancing on their Aztec customs. There was music in every corner and colorful decorations and flowers. I felt like a little girl because I was so happy and excited taking pictures everywhere; capturing those things that inspire me. There were a lot of different things happening at the same time that I didn’t know where to look at. Jellyfishes floating over our heads, people dancing and singing, candles, flowers, people painting as skeletons.
The Festival of Altars was held at the Garfield Park. There were approximately 30 altars. We could almost walk through the altars due to the crowd. Each one was totally different. Few of them were just like the Mexican traditional altars with all the symbolic objects, but the rest were original altars far away from the Mexican tradition. Besides of that, they were also amazing. There were lights everywhere and flowers. Some altars were more like sculptures or installations; using the trees to hang the lights or candles. There were also trees that people could hang their own message paper for those who passed away, and there couldn’t miss an altar for Steve Jobs with a big apple made by white paper marigolds over a big “A” letter.
At the end of our night, we ended in one of the biggest altars of the park. It was made by a young group of gypsies. This was full of details and the owners were playing some instruments, singing gypsy music and a girl performing and dancing along with the mystical music (video). A lot of dream catchers where hanging from the decorations and the smell of incense was present. The objects that were forming the altar were unique and weird. Like Indian or mystical objects, such as wood figurines (some cats, birds, Egyptian gods), colored textiles and a lot of candles.
The detail and creativity of these altars were completely inspiring in addition to the atmosphere that created a magical experience for the viewers. It’s such a pleasure that people from different nationalities are getting to know this beautiful tradition. From my point of view, it is even a better holiday that Halloween because it is full of emotions and meaning for all my community, and it is also a happy day where we remember the people that are not longer with us with hope. It shows a part of our Mexican personalities where we are positive to all things and our black sense of humor, where we prefer to laugh about dead rather than see it as something sad.
All the streets where full of people, and there was an altar outside of each store. I was amazed that even when they weren’t Mexican they had an altar for their family or friends. People from all nationalities were waiting for the parade to start, which was going to begin in the 22 st. & Bryant and end in the Garfield Park. The parade was amazing. Hundreds of Catrinas and Catrines were walking through the streets of mission and people were dancing on their Aztec customs. There was music in every corner and colorful decorations and flowers. I felt like a little girl because I was so happy and excited taking pictures everywhere; capturing those things that inspire me. There were a lot of different things happening at the same time that I didn’t know where to look at. Jellyfishes floating over our heads, people dancing and singing, candles, flowers, people painting as skeletons.
The Festival of Altars was held at the Garfield Park. There were approximately 30 altars. We could almost walk through the altars due to the crowd. Each one was totally different. Few of them were just like the Mexican traditional altars with all the symbolic objects, but the rest were original altars far away from the Mexican tradition. Besides of that, they were also amazing. There were lights everywhere and flowers. Some altars were more like sculptures or installations; using the trees to hang the lights or candles. There were also trees that people could hang their own message paper for those who passed away, and there couldn’t miss an altar for Steve Jobs with a big apple made by white paper marigolds over a big “A” letter.
At the end of our night, we ended in one of the biggest altars of the park. It was made by a young group of gypsies. This was full of details and the owners were playing some instruments, singing gypsy music and a girl performing and dancing along with the mystical music (video). A lot of dream catchers where hanging from the decorations and the smell of incense was present. The objects that were forming the altar were unique and weird. Like Indian or mystical objects, such as wood figurines (some cats, birds, Egyptian gods), colored textiles and a lot of candles.
The detail and creativity of these altars were completely inspiring in addition to the atmosphere that created a magical experience for the viewers. It’s such a pleasure that people from different nationalities are getting to know this beautiful tradition. From my point of view, it is even a better holiday that Halloween because it is full of emotions and meaning for all my community, and it is also a happy day where we remember the people that are not longer with us with hope. It shows a part of our Mexican personalities where we are positive to all things and our black sense of humor, where we prefer to laugh about dead rather than see it as something sad.
