Tucson, A Night of Remembrance

Tonight in Tucson -- It is a Fall ritual of remembrance, celebration, honoring loved ones and expressing grief. Particularly in light of the terrible chaos and death wrought by Hurricane Sandy...and because of the terrible division we see in this country wrought by extremist politics - tonight's procession carries great meaning. Pix on left is from two years ago, when the Procession was on Congress Street. More about the Procession on my Tucson Cowgirl blog here.

I've contributed dollars as I can to help continue the tradition, and to help the non-profit responsible. The Red Cross needs our dollars, too, tonight, as does non-partisan believers like Gabby Giffords/Captain Mark Kelly's PAC.

Festal Factoids

• Who: All Souls Procession was conceived by Tucson artist and teacher Susan Kay Johnson.
  
  
• Why: Johnson studied Jung and knew that community rituals, including All Souls and Dia de los Muertos, were used by many cultures to acknowledge grief. When her father died in 1990, Johnson told friends she wanted to create a remembrance piece in his honor.

• What: After passers-by saw Johnson’s spontaneous procession and wanted to participate, what was personal performance art in a downtown studio grew in the All Souls Procession (ASP). By 2006 the ASP was so large (12,000+) that the non-profit entity Many Mouths One Stomach (MMOS) was created as the organizing body for all Procession-related activities.

• How: In its 22^nd year, ASP is now an immense spiritual and campy Tucson ritual. The MMOS board stewards the evolving, qualitative experience of the ASP weekend and all its programs. Artistic Director Nadia Hagen and a collective of co-directors, artists and community volunteers called buckstoppers are responsible for producing all aspects of the ASP and events. For specific information about the Procession, All Souls elements and how you can get involved, check the website: http://www.allsoulsprocession.org/.

Honoring Souls in a Most Colorful, Creative, Cultural Tucson Procession

OK, this is one of the reasons I love Tucson: Picture a wildly colorful parade of mourners, all in elaborate costumes and paint, walking with dogs, puppets, bikes, cymbals or floats. Then envision a giant pyrotechnic display and a bonfire made by burning a giant urn, which contains mementos from loved ones or poems or wishes from the public. Then envision thousands of people, some stilt walkers, some dancers, some of whom traveled here from Europe just to participate.
It's the All Souls Procession -- started in 1990 by an artist who wanted to tie in with the region's lovely Dia De Los Muertos traditions and at the same time remember her dad who had just died. Designed to honor and grieve loved ones who have passed on, the evening is a grand Tucson event which engages everyone in the community. Leigh and I went with our cameras, and next year I'll be there in face paint.

Some people love our weather (yes, it's gorgeous) but I am in love with the magic found in Tucson's wonderful regional traditions of nature, arts and culture. Life and death, with all their beauty and sorrow, certainly wove a lovely tapestry of music and pomp last night. Congrats to the Many Mouths One Stomach community group who organized the procession.