Dia de los muertos...

On Tuesday November 2nd, San Francisco's annual Dia de los Muertos parade was held in the Mission. Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday where people get together to remember friends and family who have passed away, and coincides with the Christian religious holiday, All Souls' Day.




The holiday has been celebrated in the Mission for some years now, with the large Mexican population marking this tradition alongside community members of all cultures who have joined in with this commemorative event.








The parade itself ran from 22nd and Bryant to 24th and Mission, with altars and shrines being set up in Garfield Park. You can expect to see many people with their faces painted like sugar skulls, repetitive, drum-heavy, reverberating music leading the procession, people carrying candles and photos of the deceased, costumed people on stilts and carriages pulled along by bicycles, with people aboard shouting out calls to the dead.










As it was a warm night, it was particularly enjoyable to stroll along with the procession, taking in all the costumes and the eccentric, yet peaceful atmosphere. I did not sugar-skullify my face though, as three days of caking on the make-up over the Halloween weekend left me a little face painted out....