Dia De Los Muertos is a centuries old gathering navigating new territory since COVID disrupted public space, rituals, and health.

[by Francine Rios-Fetcho, BA, UCSF Latinx Center of Excellence in Health; Angela Gallegos-Castillo, PhD, Instituto Familiar De La Raza; Roberto Ariel Vargas, MPH, UCSF Center for Community Engagement and CTSI; Courtesy photo]

The symbolic and participatory ceremonies of Dia De Los Muertos are so old they pre-date the presence of the Españoles in Mexico. Our Mexica/Azteca ancestors handed these rituals down to us, an opportunity to celebrate loved ones who have transitioned, without fear of death, which is merely the next phase of life for us. The pandemic presented challenges in partaking in communal ceremonies like this. Similarly, we also lost the opportunity for healing as a community represented by funerals and communal grieving. Not everyone was able to grieve with loved ones in public gatherings during the pandemic.  

Public health and other officials prohibited public gatherings when we needed such protections to help stop the spread of the very contagious Coronavirus. Even when restrictions were relaxed, some people in our communities who have compromised immune systems—our elders, and others—did not feel safe going to funerals or public gatherings. Some people died in hospitals without their loved ones next to their side. Not being able to gather to support one another in sickness or to grieve together was an especially painful consequence of the COVID pandemic. With our country finally opening up for the moment, we are enjoying this relatively safe opportunity to gather in person and honor those loved ones who transitioned during the pandemic—whether from COVID or not—by raising an altar in their honor in the ornate lobby of Brava Theater on 24th St. Instituto Familiar De La Raza is partnering with UCSF, Loco Bloco, Brava Theater and Danza Xitlalli to raise this altar for our community members who transitioned during the pandemic. 

This Nov. 2, we’ll celebrate Día De Los Muertos in San Francisco’s Barrio de la Misión in many ways. From Grupo Xitlalli’s Traditional Chichimeca-Otomi ceremony—what is commonly known as Aztec/Mexica velacion and danza—to celebrations in people’s own homes where ofrendas of copal incense, chocolate Mexicano, and photos of our ánimas/loved ones on the “other side” are proudly displayed. This is a day to help bring together the living and the dead in song and ceremony; a day where the veil between the living and the dead is thin and porous, not a barrier. It’s for this reason we offer real food, drinks, and other tangible offerings for our loved ones on the altar. Unlike Halloween, this is not a scary time, and our dead are not “spooky;” the appearance of our loved ones is cause for celebration.

Una Ofrenda at the Crossroads, presented by Loco Bloco at Brava Theater, on 24th and York Streets, will showcase Afro Brasileiro drumming and dance and altars honoring the dead, a long-standing tradition we embrace on this day, every year. Altares can be viewed from 6-7pm with the show from 7-8:30 pm. Another altar being shared at this show is dedicated to Loco Bloco members and extended family who have transitioned to the other side. Danza Azteca Xitlalli of San Francisco offered traditional Otomi dances and Nahuatl songs to open the event and to invite our loved ones whose faces grace the altar to join us. 

Because we still need to continue protecting and educating ourselves about how this virus is evolving, our altar will also showcase information on the importance of getting vaccinated or boosted against COVID-19 to prepare and protect our community for the holidays and to help avoid shutdowns in the future. We also offered hundreds of hand sanitizer bottles for our community to use. Protecting ourselves and our community will enable us to gather to celebrate our loved ones past and present. We hope the coming year will provide us many opportunities to enjoy our arts, dance our dances, and sing our songs from our bellies and our hearts—together in family and community. We hope this altar both honors those we lost during the pandemic, and educates our community about how to protect ourselves, in order to prevent more shutdowns.

Please visit the website of UCSF’s Latinx Center of Excellence Website information about COVID vaccines and boosters and where to get them for free near you. There you can also find information provided by our own SF General Hospital and UCSF physicians, incluyendo en Español.  This project is part of a larger partnership between Instituto Familiar De La Raza, NICOS Chinese Health Coalition, Rafiki Coalition, Samoan Community Development Center & UCSF called Stop COVID San Francisco. Along with similar community-university partnerships across the state of California, we are working to understand and support how we can eliminate higher rates of COVID infection and lower rates of COVID vaccination and boosting among California’s communities of color. 

For a look at our practice and policy briefs, please see Rafiki Coalition’s website.