Zozobra/The Death of Old Man Gloom

Yesterday, over 20,000 New Mexicans gathered in Fort Marcy Park in Santa Fe to burn Zozobra, or Old Man Gloom, to keep the gloominess of Fall and Winter at Bay. Zozobra, the name of the burning man conceived by artist Will Shuster in 1924 unofficially and officially (there are conficting stories) opens Fiesta Week in Santa Fe. There are several strains of thought to explain here. First of all, is this the infamous "Burning Man" celebration that began in San Francisco and eventually relocated to desert locales, most recently in Nevada? No, this started in 1924 in Santa Fe as part of Santa Fe's Fiesta Week. Why doesn't Will Shuster get credit for the concept of Burning Man as well? Well, a brilliant idea is conceived and then it is adopted by a rare few and then it achieves critical mass and then dilution for general public consumption. That is the way it is in the good old US of A. It's not too outlandish to believe that Walt Disney or Sony will sponsor the next Burning Man.

Zozobra is now sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe that uses the proceeds to give scholarships to young Santa Feans. A worthy cause, I think.

What is Fiesta Week? Well, that's a bit hard to explain too. There are several processions and parades as well as the burning of Old Man Gloom that seem to be part of Fiesta Week. The best way to explain is that it seems to coincide with the celebration of General DeVargas of Spain recapturing Santa Fe from the Indians. There was a parade/procession today at 2 PM reenacting DeVargas reentry to Santa Fe that ended at the Cathedral of St. Francis.

But there are a number of other parades that are part of Fiesta Week, a "light" parade last weekend that got canceled due to heavy storms that produced an inch of rain in several minutes (SL and CS were caught in the middle of the downpour, thankfully underneath many of the porches in downtown); a children's/pet's parade that occurs early tomorrow morning - best pet costume wins!; a historical/hysterical parade that for some reason doesn't pass by the Plaza; as well as a few candlelight processions to mass.

(Images property of Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper)