Burning man is but a child and a badly misguided one, at that.
The burning of Zozobra is a now 100-year-old Santa Fe tradition that can befuddle tourists and newcomers alike, but which has become central to the culture of this place. It seems a bit sinister, and that’s by design. His burning represents the incineration of cares, wants, anxiety, and gloom. Full of contradiction, Zozobra’s torching actually carries a positive, healthy message. Only when you hear mass collective chants of “burn him!“ and “burn, puppet” and (my favorite) “burn, pinche puppet!” will you gain a feel for what Zozobra means to Santa Fe.
It started back in 1924. Artist Will Schuster crafted the first Zozobra, later to torch it with alacrity at a local yard party. His invention wasn’t pulled from thin air, but rather drew inspiration from local Catholic holy week practices. Schuster co-opted the Spanish word Zozobra (meaning anguish, anxiety, or gloom) and his pyrotechnics became a festive means for laid-back and content Santa Feans to cast off cares and gloom of daily life and look ahead to a year free of worry.
Below are some photos from this, the 99th burning, courtesy of my good friend Jen Perez.
Leave a Reply