Zozobra
Encyclopedia
Zozobra is the name of a giant marionette
effigy
which is built and burned every autumn during Fiestas de Santa Fe
in Santa Fe, New Mexico
, usually during the second week of September. As his name suggests, he embodies gloom; by burning him, people destroy the worries and troubles of the previous year in the flames. Anyone with gloom that they need to get rid of can come by the offices of the Santa Fe Reporter
in the weeks leading up to the burn to drop off slips of paper with personal gloom written on them. Many people put legal papers in the gloom box as well. At the festival the papers from the gloom box are placed at Zozobra's feet to be burned alongside him.
Fiestas de Santa Fe has been held since 1712 to celebrate the Spanish retaking of the city in 1692 by Don Diego de Vargas
from the Pueblo tribes who had occupied the city since the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The burning of Zozobra dates from 1924. William Howard Shuster
, Jr. came up with the idea of creating the effigy, also called Old Man Gloom, and ritual burning.
Today more than 40,000 people go to watch Zozobra, who stands fifty feet tall. His burning marks the start of three days of celebration that includes traditional mass at St. Francis Cathedral
; a reenactment of the Entrada, when Don Diego de Vargas returned to the city; a Children's Pet Parade; and the Historical/Hysterical Parade. The Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe builds Zozobra and burns the effigy at Fort Marcy Park. The Zozobra that was burned on September 7, 2007, was certified by Guinness World Records
as the largest marionette in the world, measuring 15.21 m (49.11 feet) in height.The color of his hair changes each year.
Marionette
A marionette is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a manipulator. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by using a vertical or horizontal control bar in different forms...
effigy
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
which is built and burned every autumn during Fiestas de Santa Fe
Fiestas de Santa Fe
Fiestas de Santa Fe is a festival held every autumn in Santa Fe, New Mexico, usually during the second week of September.-History:Fiestas de Santa Fe has been held annually since 1712 to celebrate the Reconquest of the city in 1692 by Spanish colonists led by General Don Diego de Vargas...
in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, usually during the second week of September. As his name suggests, he embodies gloom; by burning him, people destroy the worries and troubles of the previous year in the flames. Anyone with gloom that they need to get rid of can come by the offices of the Santa Fe Reporter
Santa Fe Reporter
Santa Fe Reporter is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. It features reports on local news, politics, art and culture....
in the weeks leading up to the burn to drop off slips of paper with personal gloom written on them. Many people put legal papers in the gloom box as well. At the festival the papers from the gloom box are placed at Zozobra's feet to be burned alongside him.
Fiestas de Santa Fe has been held since 1712 to celebrate the Spanish retaking of the city in 1692 by Don Diego de Vargas
Diego de Vargas
Diego de Vargas Zapata y Luján Ponce de León y Contreras , commonly known as Don Diego de Vargas, was a Spanish Governor of the New Spain territory of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, today the U.S. states of New Mexico and Arizona, titular 1690 – 1692, effective 1692 – 1696 and 1703 – 1704...
from the Pueblo tribes who had occupied the city since the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The burning of Zozobra dates from 1924. William Howard Shuster
William Howard Shuster
William Howard Shuster was an American artist. He arrived in New Mexico in the early twentieth century as one of the first wave of white artists who came to paint but stayed on to help build the arts community...
, Jr. came up with the idea of creating the effigy, also called Old Man Gloom, and ritual burning.
Today more than 40,000 people go to watch Zozobra, who stands fifty feet tall. His burning marks the start of three days of celebration that includes traditional mass at St. Francis Cathedral
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, commonly known as Saint Francis Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe....
; a reenactment of the Entrada, when Don Diego de Vargas returned to the city; a Children's Pet Parade; and the Historical/Hysterical Parade. The Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe builds Zozobra and burns the effigy at Fort Marcy Park. The Zozobra that was burned on September 7, 2007, was certified by Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
as the largest marionette in the world, measuring 15.21 m (49.11 feet) in height.The color of his hair changes each year.
Popular culture
- In the Pixar short film Mater and the GhostlightMater and the GhostlightMater and the Ghostlight is a 2006 Pixar computer-animated short created for the DVD of Cars, which was released on October 25, 2006 in Australia and in the United States on November 7, 2006...
, the Sheriff mentions Zozobra. - The 1947 Film Ride the Pink HorseRide the Pink HorseRide the Pink Horse is a 1947 American crime film noir produced by Universal Studios. It was directed by the actor Robert Montgomery from a screenplay by Ben Hecht, which was based on a novel of the same name by Dorothy B. Hughes. The drama features Robert Montgomery, Wanda Hendrix, Andrea King,...
is set at the festival of Zozobra. - The band Old Man GloomOld Man GloomOld Man Gloom is a sludge/doom metal/post-metal band originally formed in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States, but now based in Massachusetts. The group, formed by Aaron Turner of Isis and Santos Montano, has now expanded to become a sort of supergroup in the Boston hardcore and metalcore scene....
, a collaboration of artists on Hydrahead records, released an album entitled Seminar III:Zozobra. Additionally, two of the members of Old Man Gloom have since formed another side project called Zozobra, releasing the albums Harmonic TremorsHarmonic Tremors-Track listing:# The Blessing – 5:36# Kill and Crush – 3:26# Levitate – 3:00# Soon to Follow – 4:14# Silver Ghost – 3:19# Invisible Wolves – 2:54# Peripheral Lows – 2:18# The Vast Expanse – 4:23# Caldera – 4:08# A Distant Star Fades – 4:02- Personnel :...
and Bird of Prey. - Burning Sosobra is also an album by experimental rock band FloaterFloaterFloaters are deposits of various size, shape, consistency, refractive index, and motility within the eye's vitreous humour, which is normally transparent. At young age the vitreous is perfectly transparent, but during life imperfections gradually develop. The common type of floater, which is...
. - In the 1990 film CatchfireCatchfireCatchfire is a 1990 action-thriller-drama film starring Jodie Foster, Dennis Hopper, and Fred Ward. Several other notable actors have cameos. The film was disowned by its director, Hopper, before release and he is therefore credited under the fictional pseudonym Alan Smithee...
, Jodie FosterJodie FosterAlicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
s character watches a small version of Zozobra being burned in a small plaza in TaosTaosTaos can meanPlaces*Taos Pueblo, a Native American pueblo, Tua-tah*Taos dialect, a dialect of the Tiwa language*Taos County, New Mexico, United States*Taos, New Mexico, a city, the county seat of Taos County, New Mexico...
, NM.
External links
- The Burning of Zozobra - Official Site
- Santa Fe Fiesta Council - Official Santa Fe Fiesta Site
- Video of Zozobra burning, 2005 - The Santa Fe New Mexican