As the Mission District prepares for the big Dia de los Muertos celebration Saturday, the Sunset District held its event Friday evening.
Many from different cultures came together to remember deceased loved ones.
“My mother passed away two years ago yesterday. It’s an opportunity to honor her history, to celebrate traditions as Latino people,” said Karla Rosales Barrios.
With her mother’s photo proudly displayed at her booth, Rosales Barrios shared her passion, inspired by her Nicaraguan roots.
Her company is called Pass the Sauced, to think about how food brings families together.
“My idea was to use words to create an image of people just sharing a moment of food, community and family,” she said.
The event had the traditional altars with offerings for deceased relatives. Florecita makes a special Dia de los Muertos bread.
“It’s an orange blossom bread dusted with cinnamon sugar,” says Ximena Williams, owner of Florecita Panaderia.
Williams only started her business two years ago, but she has been touched by her customers who have chosen to share her baked goods for this annual celebration.
“As a baker, it means so much to see so many people preparing it for their loved ones and being part of someone’s very special day,” she said.
Although the event featured one large altar for the community, several families decided to build their own. Anh Huynh celebrates the life of her fiancé’s father and uncle.
“It’s kind of nice that we share this commonality in our different cultures and it’s like celebrating each other and our families,” Huynh said. “To show respect and include each other in our evolving lives that we build together.”
With the offerings, the hope for these families is that the departed souls will return for a celebration of both life and death.
“Life is cyclical,” said Rosales Barrios. “Life at some point we all die. If we are alive and we can struggle with the fear of death, then we can celebrate all the good things in life.”
