Zozobra
Burning Old Man Gloom in Santa Fe
New Mexicans gather annually on a Friday night in early Autumn to burn the towering ‘Old Man Gloom’ and destroy the troubles and worries of the previous year, in a somewhat silly but symbolically meaningful event for locals.
After nightfall, Zozobra’s enemy, the red-dressed Fire Spirit Dancer, performs an elaborate torch ritual stoking the bogeyman into loudly moaning and flailing about until he bursts with fireworks and ablaze falls to the ground lifeless.
Zozobra is a 50-foot tall effigy constructed of a framework of lumber and chicken wire, covered with cotton fabric and stuffed with paper, including collected written notes containing the problems and hardships of locals. Each year he is outfitted with a unique suit design related to the current year’s event theme.
Originally a fun creation for a private fiesta event in Santa Fe in 1924, ‘The Burning of Will Shuster’s Zozobra’ is now a spectacular annual event attended by over 50,000 people and managed by The Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe.
Old Man Gloom is burned at Fort Marcy Park inf Santa Fe the Friday before Labor Day, beginning a weekend of celebrations in The City Different.
The event includes several hours of prelude and music concerts as attendees pack in, yelling and chanting “BURN HIM!” while growing crowded and ever more impatiently debaucherous. Weather is important as any winds can delay or even cancel the burning.
More info online at https://burnzozobra.com/ and from social media accounts #zozobra.
BURN HIM!!!!