CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Day of the Dead celebration in the Gordon Square neighborhood was a joyous, colorful tapestry Saturday, with art, music, food and a parade featuring more than 800 participants.

Artist Hector Castellanos-Lara, one of the organizers, said the celebration is rooted in the ancient Aztec and Mayan cultures of Mexico but also coincides with the Roman Catholic celebration of All Souls Day and All Saints Day.

"It is a hybrid of the new and the old," he said.

"We talk to our children about this important spiritual tradition," he said.

He said Puerto Ricans in Greater Cleveland also have embraced the festival, but its devotees are even more diverse. About 65 percent of those attending are not Latinos, Castellanos-Lara said.

In one area, children and adults were constructing a round design on the ground, a practice that is rooted in ancient Eastern mystical traditions.

"Later it (the seeds) will become soup," said Jay Bentoff, one of the adults.

One striking aspect of the Day of the Dead is the personal level on which the dead are honored.

Altars of varying sizes, called ofredas, include offerings of food and water for a particular decedent, along with artifacts that recall elements of the person's life.

There were also places inviting people to send a message to the dead. One sign urged people to "Leave a message for those who are gone." Another suggested that people writer down stories and jokes for the dead.

Bones are a major component of the art and costuming, some presented so whimsically that they suggest the hand of filmmaker Tim Burton.

Aptly, a contingent of larger-than-life puppets came from the Cleveland Museum of Art's Community Arts Program, which is the driving force behind the Parade the Circle event each summer under the guidance of Robin VanLear.

If you missed the celebration Saturday, take heart. It will return next year for the 13th local iteration.