FRIEND POST : Dyah Apsari

El Dia de Los Muertos in SF

In my second year living in San Francisco, I finally can feel and say that I have settled living here.

Settled means that I don’t feel like I am a newbie in a new town, don’t act like a tourist that always want to go to those famous places named on the magazines, have different circle of friends that I hang out with comfortably throughout the week (different crowds with its own dynamics and energy), have a few “in case of emergency” contacts that I can call at 3AM to help me with something big and these people will come for sure. And last but not least, no big obsession on making new friends, though I still cherish meeting new interesting people from time to time.

I can recall those times when I first moved here from a much smaller city (*in terms of population) in the Midwest (St. Louis) after my graduation. Moving to a new city has always been a thrill for me. The uncertainty, the possibility, the different culture, people, system, atmosphere, landscape, and most importantly that kick of feeling whether I am going to make it in this new place or not, give me some kind of ecstasy that keeps me going.

Though that wasn’t my first time moving to a new place where I don’t know anyone, but moving to a new city where I didn’t have anything prepared for me such as: school or work, just take that sense of excitement to a different level.

For some reasons, in the midst of big recession in the US where I could read daily about big companies laid off their workers, somehow I landed a job and everything worked out well ever since and nowadays I’m enjoying living in San Francisco.

The diversity of the city and its many small neighborhoods with different characteristics make me fall in love with San Francisco. And a sense of hippie–ness throughout the city just adds some unique flavor to it. It’s a very fun city and there’s always a lot going on in daily basis. From different exhibitions at museums, free concerts, free movie night at a park to varieties of marathon/walk for a cause and tons of festivals and parades.

The last one that I just went to is El Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). It’s actually a holiday celebrated by many in Mexico and some Mexican Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 2 in connection with Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2).

Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. The Day of the Dead is a time of celebration when eating and partying are common. Due to occurring shortly after Halloween, the Day of the Dead is sometimes thought to be a similar holiday, although the two are celebrated differently.

This celebration of the dead reminds me of similar ritual that we have in Indonesia, nyekar which has similar purpose to remember and pray for those loved ones that have passed away even though we celebrate it in a quieter way. It always fascinates me whenever I find something new that is similar to a ritual or something back home. People look so different but we are all just the same.



* Dyah is a dear friend. She lives and works in San Francisco, California. She wrote this after experiencing El Dia de los Muertos in San Francisco on November 2, 2010. Click here to learn more about the celebration.

** Photo: Taken from Dyah's Facebook. She's the one wearing a pink top and navy shorts.