Thousands turned out for the Indianapolis Art Center’s 10th annual El Dia de los Muertos celebration — better known as the Day of the Dead — on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

As children worked elbow-to-elbow on crafts that included painting sugar skulls and creating colorful felt decorations, hundreds of families packed an outdoor terrace to watch traditional Mexican folk dancers perform and check out Day of the Dead-inspired artwork and shrines.

Although the Day of the Dead sounds macabre, Art Center marketing director Lisa DeHayes said the holiday has more in common with Memorial Day than Halloween. Sometimes called All Souls’ Day, it’s mainly celebrated in the U.S., Mexico and Central America during the waning days of October and the first days of November.

“The name is a bit misleading,” DeHayes said. “It’s really a joyous celebration of life.”

Erika Gonzalez, 34, Indianapolis, agreed. She and her children Bertha, 6; Jeffrey, 9; and Jesus, 13, came to the event as part of their holiday celebration. Gonzalez and her family created a shrine to dead relatives at their home, filled with their favorite food and drink, as well as flowers and small decorations. Gonzalez said she created similarly intricate skulls as a little girl in Mexico and would add the ones her kids made to the family shrine when they returned home.

“I believe our ancestors are still with us,” Gonzalez said. “This is a way to celebrate them and keep them alive through the generations.”

Christi Booher, 49, Indianapolis, said the event, which has grown in size each of the past three years she’s attended with grandson Sam, 7, is also a way for people unfamiliar with Latin American culture to learn about more than just the Day of the Dead holiday.

“I like bringing him here and letting him experience different things,” she said. “He likes to look at the all the beautiful detail that went into the shrines and altars. The art aspect speaks a lot more easily to people than just words.”