Dia De Los Muertos San Francisco

Hundreds of people came out on Monday, November 2 to participate in the annual Dia De Los Muertos festival on Mission Street. There were Altars organized by the Marigold Project set up in Garfield Park prior to the parade. The Altars varied from deeply personal, to school projects, to political ones dedicated to those that have been evicted due to gentrification.

It’s believed that the spirits of the deceased return to reunite themselves with their families on November 2nd. It was amazing to have so many people share momentums of there loved ones and allowing strangers to look at, take photos, and share them on social media. Several vendors were set-up to provide skull face paintings, the symbolism of the eternal cycle of life, death and rebirth. The guy that painted my face kept saying, “This is how you’re going to look when you’re dead”, which felt a bit morbid but I understood the sentiment. The music, the colors, the crowds and the altars made it an emotional experience. You discover the beauty of life when gathering to honor the departed.

It’s unfortunate to think that a celebration so beautiful could inevitably be watered down or dismissed all together at the rate that Mission is being gentrified. The celebration has meaning to the long-time residents and is not something they do to attract gawkers. At the end of the parade several people carried “Yes on I” posters. The proposition would establish a temporary, 18-month prohibition on the construction of any housing project larger than five units in the Mission District and grant exceptions for the construction of units to be used exclusively for affordable housing, something that the community desperately needs.