During Día de los Muertos, they are used to symbolize the impermanent nature of life. Typically, yellow and purple pieces of papel picado are favored around the holiday to represent mourning and hope, and some believe that spirits can pass through the holes in the tissue paper as they move between the Land of the Living and the Land of the Dead.

The festival's turnout was a relief for merchants after other Day of the Dead events were canceled or scaled back around the Bay Area.

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Mexican tradition that honors the deceased. Families build altars decorated with marigolds, candles, photos and favorite foods. Cemeteries are enlivened by music, colorful decor and the stories of loved ones to ...