Celia Rose recently relocated to Nashville from Guanajuato, Mexico. Unlike the mountainous desert town where she had been living for the past three years, there are few opportunities to enjoy the outdoors in Tennessee without either the mosquitoes, the humidity or the bitter chill driving you back inside. Not wanting to miss the chance to spend a night under the stars, Celia Rose organized an evening of art and music to celebrate Los Muertos at Mas Tacos Por Favor, a taco shop in East Nashville known for their tasty tacos and delicious soups, for Los Muertos.
Paper mâché and horchata were among the supplies scattered across the tables Thursday night while the first round of mask-making got under way. Among the many artists were a mother and son team, and one boyfriend who surprised his girlfriend on her spooky birthday. Friday night, the taco truck was posted up outside of the East Nashville location of Mas Tacos and kept cranking out pork and vegetarian tamales while local bands New Pleasure and Promised Land entertained the ever-growing crowd that was gathered outside.
Among the confetti and paint, and behind the masks, there was a beautiful combination of cultures and traditions. The left over jack-o-lanterns smiled on the table next to the sugar skulls as the last of the spirits slipped away into the night. No matter the tradition or the language, the turning of the seasons seems to spark that sense of nostalgia in all of us.
