Many Latin American cultures remember the death of their loved ones whose spirits, they believe, visit the Earth once a year early in November.

By celebrating the Day of the Dead, relatives and friends not only honor those who have passed away, but also recreate the importance of family. Colorful and bountiful altars, often festooned with favorite fruits, flowers, beverages and objects that once belonged to them, are created for ancestors whose bodies have left this world but whose souls exist in another and return this night to visit with the living. 

The Day of the Dead is actually a reflection on the meaning of life. Or looking at it another way, it is a ritual to explain the mystery of death.  In many cultures death is considered a passage to another life.

On Saturday night, the 22^nd year San Rafael has celebrated the commemeration, the event was held at Pickleweed Community Center.  The goal is to empower the diverse multicultural communities of the Canal neighborhood so that they can celebrate their lives through visual performance arts. The event was organized by Canal Welcome Center, Pickleweed Park Community Center and Library, Catholic  Charities CYOC Kids Club, community leaders and local artists.

The Bay Area Discovery Museum hosted an altar making workshop during which participants were encouraged to draw a portrait of a loved one, to be used as a centerpiece in their portable altar to which personal items were added. The altar was to be carried during the procession. Skeletons and skulls were made out of tooling foil and worn as necklaces or bracelets. 

Several groups spent many hours creating large altars. Late Saturday afternoon was reserved for altar viewing, face painting, crafts and art workshops, reading and story telling (for little children), and ethnic food such as pozole and hot chocolate.

Most altars took from three to five hours to create. The altar by Boy Scout Troop 2000 had corn gourds and flowers and another honoring the San Rafael Fire Department contained many photographs. A unique altar, created by Zoe Harris who has made altars sinc 1975, was titled "Artists I have known and loved." A sign said she was honoring artists who had inspired her over the years, including her mother and teachers.  

Douglas Mundo, one of the organizers who also works at the Welcome Center and was on the microphone announcing the performances later in the evening said, "There were 10 committee members and this event is about bringing the community together to honor loved ones, people's heroes, and causes. " 

Face painter Geydi Esparza was creating a work of art on the face of 18-year-old Jasmine Castro who shared hosting duties with Mundo as the English announcer-translator later in the evening.

There was a crafts room for older kids, with round tables filled with all sorts of things from which to make artwork.  In the library, for the little children, there was story telling by  Claudia Cuentas who is originally from Peru. She had made an altar with condor feathers, corn for life, candles for ancestors, flowers, waterand instruments. 

Procession

At 6 p.m., Aztec Dancers, founded by Jesus Martinez and his brother Francisco Alvarez eight years ago led a parade of participants through the neighborhood. Their ritualistic sounds, made with the tambor, and colorful feather headdresses made you feel they were part of the earth itself . Sunflowers were handed out to all. When the procession returned to Pickleweed, the dancers blessed the altars and performed the Dance of the Dead.

Walking in the parade we caught up with Zoe Harris who had made one of the altars we had admired. She was carrying a torch for her ancestors in one hand and a sunflower in the other.  She said she had been given a grant from the Los Angeles Arts Commission to go to Mixquic, near Mexico City to study the Day of the Dead because that small town is steeped in the ritual celebration. 

Two little girls in the parade were five-year-old Leila Gareia, and Mia Oliverios, six. They were later dancers in the Ballet Folklorico Netzahualcoyotl performance as were Naomi Soso, 14, Dennise Rodriquez 11, and Nicte-ha Chacon, 10.

Drumming and dancing

The crowd was treated to performances by a native American singer and drummer David Escobar. To his drum beat, an artist named Manuel used a torch to literally paint with fire, burning a drawing of a skeleton. Another native American offered a song "for all ancestors in the Western Hemisphere from the top of Canada to the tip of South America." 

City Councilman Damon Connolly, who still held a sunflower from the parade, said on stage that "This is my second parade this week. This one is just as good," referring to Wednesday's San Francisco Giants parade. He told the Canal community that San Rafael appreciates the cultural diversity they bring to the neighborhood.

The Chan-Kahal Mayan dance group was founded in 2003 to represent the tradition of Yucatan and the Mayan culture through their dances.  While the outfits worn by the women are colorfully embroidered, the men wear all white, sometimes with hats. The women balanced baskets of fruit on their heads while dancing, and later each man and women had a round tray with a beer bottle in the center, surrounded by four glasses, while moving around the floor. I didn't see anyone spill a drop.

The next group to perform was Ballet Folklorico Netzahualcoyotl, which was founded in 1996 by Netza Vidal, who was a member of the Ballet Follklorico Mexcaltitan.  There are 30 students in the group from little girls to older students. They have performed at many ethnic dance festivals and fairs. Last night's performance started out with little girls in long colorful full skirts, which they waved from side to side, then older girls who balanced flower encrusted bowls on their heads.

The altars were definitely the main event of the day, but everyone and their ancestors had a wonderful time celebrating Day of the Dead in San Rafael.