Getting ready to ‘burn him’
It cannot be denied. The year 2017 is definitely one where the expelling of gloom is greatly to be desired. From the unpleasant national political scene, to potential world war, to recent natural disasters, to attack politics at the local scene, much misery is floating in the air.
Fortunately, we in Santa Fe have the antidote to all that gloom. Come rain or shine Friday, the 93rd annual Burning of Will Shuster’s Zozobra will take place at Fort Marcy park, presented once more by the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe. A unique cultural spectacle, Zozobra’s burning combines a pagan feel with old-fashioned family fun.
Shuster, a noted Santa Fe artist, invented the ceremonial burning as his way to bring fun to the Fiesta de Santa Fe. He and his friends believed the religious and cultural event to be too solemn; thus, Zozobra. We at The New Mexican are proud of our connection to the marionette. E. Dana Johnson, thenNew Mexican editor and friend of Shuster, came up with the name Zozobra, defined as “anguish, anxiety, gloom,” in Spanish, “the gloomy one.”
At the heart of the evening is the 50-plus-foot marionette, Old Man Gloom himself, Zozobra. His figure becomes the focus of townspeople’s woes, burning at the stake after suitable merriment and entertainment. The crowd, in unison, chants, “Burn him, burn him, burn him.”
There is anticipation, with a Fire Dancer and other preburning treats, before he goes up in smoke. As Zozobra burns, so do woes and troubles — both literally and figuratively. People turn over divorce papers, lousy report cards, pink slips, the reminders of past bad news, all to be stuffed inside Zozobra’s giant body. More ethereal bad feelings are unleashed as the flames engulf poor Zozobra. It’s a cleansing experience.
This year, the focus of the evening will be on the decade of the 1950s, continuing a countdown to the 100th anniversary of Zozobra in 2024 as part of the Kiwanis Club’s Decade Project. Tickets for general admission remain $10, with kids under 10 free, so that the spectacle remains affordable. They are for sale online (burnzozobra.com) or can be purchased at the gate Friday until 9 p.m. (There are other, premium tickets, most of which likely have sold out early; Kiwanis leaders are experimenting with ways to keep general admission prices low while still being able to pay for the event and raise money for youth charities.)
All in all, there are few better ways to spend a Friday night in September. Watch troubles go up in smoke, laugh with friends and remember that tomorrow will be a better day. Because, on this night, Zozobra has absorbed our troubles.