Day of the Dead
Posted by Moose on November 4th, 2007. Filed under: Tis the Season.Every year there’s a Day of the Dead parade through the Mission, ending in a park where people set up altars for their deceased loved ones and maybe creepy Uncle Fred. Just in case.
Halloween in San Francisco used to go down in the Castro until people started getting stabbed. So they called it off and the party moved to our neighborhood for Day of the Dead. I’d totally forgotten about it, but a text from a friend reminded me that there was a very large parade happening not two blocks from our front door. On our way, we passed a pair of kids talking to each other while straddling their bikes and meandering in something resembling forward motion, “Are there any Mexicans going to this thing?” I looked around. Nope. Apparently not. Sorry for appropriating a tradition 3,000 years in the making. And, um, thanks for the sugar skulls.
Parade Checklist
Skeletons in trees: check
Guys on stilts: check
Black and white face paint: check
Dancers in loin cloths: check
One hell of a lot of white people: check
The air was filled with burning sage, possibly to eliminate the ghostly presence of creepy Uncle Fred. Music was provided, inexplicably, by a bagpipe marching band. Which went especially well with this:
Love your neighbor. And tacos.
Altars were packed into every square foot of park space. Not one fire broke out while we were there – surprising, given the number of candles, tin lanterns, children, and hyper dogs in attendance.
It’s strange, looking at pictures of dead people. The person smiling in the photograph doesn’t exist any more, except in the picture and people’s memories. Which is the point of the whole exercise, I suppose. Remember them. With lights and flowers and what is apparently a dead person favorite – mini burritos.
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November 5th, 2007 at 10:40 am
Is it irreverent at all that I’m laughing at that last line? Because I’d prefer to celebrate death with fajitas – but y’know, whatever.
November 5th, 2007 at 11:01 am
I love Day of the Dead, and the little weird skull statues and sugar skulls and all of that. I want to go to a festival sometime!
November 5th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Margaritas and green chili would be how I’d celebrate. And I hope that’s how I go – now where did I put that project notebook from my Death and Dying class?
November 6th, 2007 at 9:11 am
OMSH: I’m now angling for steak fajitas. It’s a great conversation starter. “So, when I die? I want steak fajitas on my altar.” The person will look at me in horror and toss, “I just met you”, over their shoulder as they race away.
SBG: It’s quite an excellent holiday. Like Halloween for grownups.
Jhianna: Margaritas! Why didn’t I think of that?