Zozobra

At the risk of sounding a bit…crazy…I have decided to share a little piece of my existence with you all that has absolutely nothing to do with gardening, canning, chickens or bees.  Brace yourselves…

I have been blessed to live my entire life in a fairly small community (~70,000 people) that is incredibly rich in history, culture and tradition.  Here in Santa Fe, the oldest Capital in the country, we have some…well, what some might call…interesting traditions.  One such tradition is the burning of Zozobra AKA Old Man Gloom (a 50 foot tall marionette) as a kick off to the Fiestas de Santa Fe (feel free to Google Fiestas if you like…Wikipedia has a very concise explanation, but feel free to surf if you’re so inclined).

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Every single year growing up, we would pack a sack lunch and walk with our entire school to Fort Marcy Park and watch Zozobra being raised.  We looked forward to it every year and couldn’t wait to see what color his hair would be (purple, blue, red, silver, orange…), what his bow tie and cummerbunds would look like or how his hands would be positioned (pointing, peace signs, flipping the bird…).  It felt like a special treat to see him before the rest of the city.  The set up and burning always happen on the Thursday after Labor Day.  Growing up it was always on Friday, but too many people acted foolishly (and violently) because they didn’t have to work the next day, so the organizers moved it to Thursdays.  Luckily, the move has mellowed the fools out a bit.

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I love Zozobra and all that he stands for.  Pagan as he is in ritual, the act of burning away the past year’s pains is quite cathartic and wonderful.  What I don’t particularly enjoy anymore, however, are the crowds.  Over 20, 000 people packed into a tiny baseball field sounds like (almost) zero fun to me at this point in my life.  Regardless, experiencing Zozobra with someone who has never experienced it before is absolutely priceless…this year we are lucky enough to have not one, but two of Tool  Lady’s friends from St. Louis in attendance!  This is, most definitely, going to be fun!

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So, along with thousands of other Santa Feans (New Mexicans) and intentional visitors (as well as a few poor clueless tourists that just so happen to come across the event), I will be spending my evening happily yelling, “Burn Him, Burn Him, Burn Him” at the top of my lungs and allowing my worries of the past year to float away with the fire and ash.

Now, while the below video is helpful in aiding one to understand the basic jist of what will happen during the burning tonight, trust me…you have to see it in person to know it’s true impact.  The music is a little much, but…well…regardless, enjoy!