photo: Stu Jenks
Each autumn we Tucsonans breathe a collective sigh of relief with the easing of the oppressive heat that envelops our city over summer. Evenings become cooler and mornings, crisper. Longtime residents notice nature's subtle changes that signal the coming of fall and respond in kind. Folks creep out from their heat hibernations and launch creative projects. And tens of thousands of us anticipate the coming celebration of el Dia de los Muertos, celebrated locally each year with a collection of workshops and events culminating in the tremendous All Souls Procession.
Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), is a staple of life in neighboring Mexico and Hispanic culture at large. Its origins lie in ancient Mesoamerica prior to Spaniard conquest, when indigenous peoples recalled deceased children and adult loved ones with two distinct feasts, Micailhuitontli (Small Feast of the Dead) and Huey Micailhuitl (Great Feast of the Dead). During Spanish rule, natives were converted to Christianity but cherished rituals such as ofrendas (altars with offerings to the dead) and the growing of cempoaxochitll flowers were retained and integrated into the new paradigm. Mexican artists during the Revolution of 1910 adopted the Indian imagery of calaveras (skeletons) and the U.S. Chicano political movement in the 1970s also embraced the tradition.
Tucson's modern-day All Souls Procession was conceived in 1990 when local artist Susan Johnson, inspired by the Mexican holiday, created a performance piece to commemorate her father's recent passing and honor his life. Johnson's work inspired countless other artists to join her, and by 1994 the number of people involved were consistently doubling.
"Empowering and magical" is how Nadia Hagen, Artistic Director of Flam Chen Pyrotechnic Theater Co., describes the Procession at that time. The All Souls Procession subsequently evolved into the massive and deeply moving public outpouring of emotion that we see today.
During its 20 years of existence, as the Procession has transformed from an intimate, meandering get-together into an enormous parade which can be overwhelming for some, certain elements were lost in the growth process while unpredictable new possibilities emerged. Such is the nature of successful artistic ventures. According to Hagen, while staging performance stops into the Procession route is no longer effectively possible due to the huge number of attendees, we can count on large scale installations like a 250-foot boom crane supporting an Aerial Acrobatics Mobile, a 40-foot helium balloon cluster and a 10-foot Burning Urn.
Asked for advice for first-time Procession goers, Hagen replied, "The best way to really get this is to participate. This is not TV. Don't watch; jump in. Think about someone who you loved and lost. Create something to honor them."
Under questioning, Hagen conceded that there would be surprises this year to mark the Procession's 20th anniversary, but didn't disclose details. If she told us, then they wouldn't be surprises, right?
We do know that there will be fire performers. Stilt creatures. Puppets and costumes. The 20th Annual All Souls Procession will be held Sunday, November 8th. All are invited. None are turned away. Details will be forthcoming at www.AllSoulsProcession.org and www.FlamChen.com as the date approaches.
It is a most sincere truth
that this adage makes us see:
only one who was never born
can never a death's head be.
- Constancio S. Suarez
