Day of the Dead - November 2007
In November 2007 The SF Buddhist Center participated in The Mission District's annual Day of the Dead celebration.
I worked with others in the sangha to create a shrine to Shakyamuni Buddha which was inspired by a Zen garden, with a mossy carpet, ferns, and big white stones that reminded me of bones. Our set-up, under a magnificent tree, was long and rectangular, representing a grave. We lined the shrine with white votive candles that illuminated the stone path up to the Center's very first Buddha rupa. Approaching the shrine there was a sunken metal basin filled with water beside a pile of smooth tumbled stones as offerings, in remembrance of those who had recently died.
Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos, originated in MezoAmerica, and is celebrated every year in the Latino Mission neighborhood where our Buddhist Center is located. It was very fun for us to participate in this community event with our neighbors.
Day
of the Dead is All Soul's Day, and a time to remember those who have
passed on with altars traditionally adorned with candles, marigolds,
photographs, and any special thing that person enjoyed, such as food or
drink.
The altars range from the very simple and spontaneous to the elaborate and meticulously-prepared. Some are religious altars, where others look more like art installations. Some folks arrive early in the afternoon to begin setting up, while others find any small area for their offering once the night is underway.
The
evening begins in a procession, everyone dressed in black, many in
elaborate costumes. There is drumming and music, and the procession
makes its way through the streets of the Mission neighborhood,
gathering more and more people as it goes, finally ending up at
Garfield Park, where the altars are waiting, glowing in candlelight.
The evening is both solemn and festive, as everyone wanders among the
altars; parents with babies and little kids, packs of teenagers, adults
of all ages, and seniors. All united in love, in grief, and in the
inevitably that all things die.
People came to our shrine all night, tossing pebbles into the water, and also adding their own offerings of candles, cookies and photographs. I was very touched by the beautiful remembrances people stopped to share with me throughout the evening. And I thought of how our teacher, Sangharakshita, has said that in the sangha we are like pebbles, tumbling up against our rough edges, collectively and individually becoming smooth and beautiful.
Here are some photos of other shrines, taken by my friend Maw Shein Win:
