We launch our new website with something unique about Arizona – Tucson’s annual ALL SOULS PROCESSION. The 25th event took place on 9th November. David was mingling in the crowd taking photos. Jeannette contributes a few words of explanation about this event.
The All Souls Procession is a do-it-yourself tradition, a yearly celebration of those we have lost. Over 100,000 participants dress in all sorts of outfits, wearing masks or painted faces, pushing odd contraptions, but all walking solemnly through downtown Tucson on a two-mile long route following the central object, a great Urn. The urn is escorted by specially prepared attendants who play music and collect the slips of paper that have the hopes, offerings and prayers of the public. The procession ends in an elaborate and inspiring finale – with special music, dancing, lighting, trapeze and stilt artists, and the burning of the commemorative Urn.
The Procession began in 1990, inspired by Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos holiday and one woman’s tribute to her father. Over time the parade has become one of the most authentic public ceremonies in North America.
It takes a large part of the year before the event, to create the art, altars, workshops, performer costumes, themes and sequences. It’s a big enterprise supported by donations. We Tucsonians value the All Souls Procession because it allows community members from all walks of life to mourn and reflect on the universal experience of Death by celebrating with Life.
This year we lost our friends Geza, Peter and MaryLou, and David placed their names in the urn.
More of our photos for 2014 can be seen here, and photos from 2008 here.
One reply on “All Souls Procession”
Well done! Not too long or too short. The Photos are outstanding.