Yerba Buena Gardens’ first Día de los Muertos celebration provided a colorful, flavorful and musical salute to departed loved ones Saturday evening in San Francisco.
While fears of immigration enforcement actions clouded or curtailed several of the Bay Area’s planned Day of the Dead celebrations over the weekend, participants in Saturday’s celebration reveled in the sense of community that the annual gatherings provide.
Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday, typically celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2, in which relatives and friends honor deceased loved ones through altars containing their photos as well as their favorite foods and drinks. Events were held around the Bay Area all weekend, highlighted by Sunday’s gathering in Oakland, the region’s largest Día de los Muertos festival.
Saturday’s event was themed “Noche de Cempasúchil y Hierbabuena” (“Night of the Marigolds and Mint”`) to underscore the belief that the marigold can guide spirits back from the dead and mint’s role in spiritual cleansing. It was organized by the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival and Cultura y Arte Nativa de las Américas, a nonprofit known as CANA that produces cultural events, including the annual Carnaval San Francisco.
The family-friendly celebration, which began with an Indigenous blessing and procession, featured a community altar with photos and mementos of lost loved ones, food and art booths, live mural painting, and performances by dance groups and musical acts.
Central to the event was a tribute to Latin jazz pianist and bandleader Eddie Palmieri, who died in August at age 88. The Grammy-winning artist, who was born in New York, entertained Bay Area audiences over the years with performances at the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, Carnaval San Francisco, and several other venues and festivals.
The Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble of San Francisco and the Bay Area Tumbao All Stars led by John Calloway were tapped to pay tribute to the salsa star Saturday.
“Eddie Palmieri was more than a musician, he was a cultural force whose music connected generations and communities across the Americas,” Roberto Y. Hernandez, CEO of CANA, said in a release promoting the event. “We are honored to celebrate his legacy during this first-ever Día de los Muertos event at Yerba Buena Gardens.”
Roberto Y. Hernandez, CEO of Cultura y Arte Nativa de las Américas, stands at an altar at Yerba Buena Gardens’ first Día de los Muertos celebration. (Courtesy of Victoria Sanchez De Alba )
Other Day of the Day events in San Francisco include Sunday’s Festival of Altars at Potrero del Sol Park, with installations beginning at 8 a.m., a ceremony at noon and performances at 5 p.m.; plus the 44th annual Mission District procession starting at 7 p.m. at Bryant and 22nd streets.
This article originally published at Day of the Dead celebration marks a first in San Francisco.