NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It was a celebration full of culture and tradition. Thousands of guests came out for El Día de los Muertos at Cheekwood.
The two-day event featured Aztec dancers, bilingual song and story time, arts and crafts and food trucks.
"Our loved ones are allowed to come back one day a year to visit us," said Arcelia Vazquez, a teacher at the University School of Nashville. "So this is to welcome them."
In Botanic Hall, altars decorated with offerings paid homage to those who have passed. Several community organizations put their own twist on the Mexican tradition.
Vazquez said, "everything that is in a traditional altar - it has a meaning."
But Vazquez said the Day of the Dead is as much a celebration of the living as it is the dead. "We want people to understand that it's not a scary celebration."
Throughout the festival were elaborate colors and symbolic artwork, all rooted in meaning.
"The mask is very important in this holiday because it is a cultural identity," said artist Jose 'Pepe' Vera in Spanish.
Vera traded in his canvas for face painting, working on more than 400 faces over the weekend.
"For us, death is happiness - it is a celebration, it is not something we are afraid of," said Vera. That celebration on the faces, in the food and throughout the music of those in attendance.
"Besides learning and sharing the culture, it's a lot of fun," said Vazquez.
