Z is for Zozobra
("Old Man Gloom")
While my nephew and his wife were celebrating in Santa Fe back in September, I was watching the burning of Will Shuster's Zozobra with them in real time online. This event kicks off the annual Fiestas de Santa Fe on the weekend following Labor Day.
Zozobra is a hideous but harmless fifty-foot bogeyman marionette. He is a toothless, empty-headed facade. He has no guts and doesn't have a leg to stand on. He is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. He never wins. He moans and groans, rolls his eyes and twists his head. His mouth gapes and chomps. His arms flail about in frustration. Every year we do him in. We string him up and burn him down in ablaze of fireworks. At last, he is gone, taking with him all our troubles for another whole year. Santa Fe celebrates another victory. Viva la Fiesta! - A.W. Denninger
Local artist William Howard Shuster, Jr. - "Will" (1893-1969) conceived and created Zozobra in 1924 as the focus of a private fiesta at his home for artists and writers in the community. His inspiration for Zozobra came from the Holy Week celebrations of the Yaqui Indians of Mexico; an effigy of Judas, filled with firecrackers, was led around the village on a donkey and later burned. Shuster and E. Dana Johnson, a newspaper editor and friend of Shuster's came up with the name Zozobra, which was defined as "anguish, anxiety, gloom" or in Spanish for "the gloomy one." ~ The Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe
Here is an edited video of the event. The introduction begins at 3:30 and the burning starts at 8:00.
Z is for Zozobra. ABC Wednesday is hosted by Denise at mrsnesbittspace.
6 comments:
I'm TOTALLY unfamiliar with this tradition. Very interesting.
I often go to a MidWinter's party near Groundhog's Day, and we're supposed to take something from the previous year and throw it on the bonfire. Could be something written on a piece of paper, though the year our comrade Bill died, we threw in his chair.
Nice post very informative and new word I learned. Thanks for sharing!
Zucchini
Zozobra is a huge event in Santa Fe each year drawing thousands. When I saw my first Zozobra in 1999 I had just moved to Santa Fe and had no idea what was going on. The growls as Old Man Gloom burns are eerie!
I've never heard of him, but I can see why everyone would love this fiesta. To me it looks a little macabre but I bet if I were there I'd be yelling for them to 'Burn Zozobra' too!
Wow! Interesting post! I've never heard of this. Thanks!
Roger Owen Green - I like the idea of sending your troubles off in a blaze, don't you?
Manang Kim - Thank you!
Tom - I had to turn the sound down. I found the groaning TOO eerie!
Jay - I understand, yet it is an entertaining way to release one's troubles.
Tumblewords: - You're welcome! Thanks for visiting.
Thanks everyone for commenting.
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