The “Dia de los Muertos” event takes place in the San Francisco Sunset District

As the Mission District prepares for its big Dia de los Muertos celebration on Saturday, the event took place in the Sunset District on Friday evening.

Many from different cultures came together to remember their deceased loved ones.

“My mother died two years ago yesterday. It is an opportunity to honor their history and celebrate traditions as a Latino people,” said Karla Rosales Barrios.

With her mother's picture proudly displayed at her booth, Rosales Barrios shared her passion, inspired by her Nicaraguan roots.

Her company is called Pass the Sauced to think about how food brings families together.

“My idea was to use words to create an image of people just sharing a moment of food, community and family,” she said.

The event featured traditional altars with offerings for deceased family members. Florecita makes a special Dia de los Muertos bread.

“It’s an orange blossom bread dusted with cinnamon sugar,” said Ximena Williams, owner of Florecita Panaderia.

Williams only started her business two years ago, but she is touched by her customers who have chosen to share their baked goods for this annual celebration.

“As a baker, it means a lot to me to see so many people baking it for their loved ones and being part of someone’s special day,” she said.

While the event only featured one large altar for the community, several families decided to build their own. Anh Huynh celebrates the life of her fiancée's father and uncle.

“It's pretty nice that we share this commonality in our different cultures and it's just like we're celebrating each other and our families,” Huynh said. “To show respect and include each other in our evolving lives we are building together.”

With the offerings, these families hope that the departed souls will return for a celebration of life and death.

“Life is cyclical,” Rosales Barrios said. “At some point in our lives we all die. When we are alive and able to face the fears of death, we can celebrate all the goodness of life.”