ALL SOULS PROCESSION

One of the most important portions of the entire event is the burning of the urn. This year’s was made by Creative Machines, a local Tucson shop. It was comprised of 60 interlocking decorative metal panels and weighed 500 pounds. It was stunning. The purpose of the urn is to be filled with offerings, prayers, wishes both for the dead and living. The urn is pulled along the processional route by a horned god (well, a guy dressed up at a horned god) and accompanied by a contingent of people swathed in silver (well, this year they were in silver). As they move down the processional route they collect the papers from participants and bystanders and add them to the urn. During the finale the urn is hoisted to the top of a tower (this year, in past years it was suspended from a crane) and set on fire. Burning the wishes and sending them to the dead while being a guiding light to the deceased.

ALL SOULS PROCESSION

Some of the folks dressed up for the All Souls Procession.

ALL SOULS PROCESSION

Last night I attended the All Souls Procession, a local Tucson event and celebrated nowhere else in the world. The Procession is a cherished Tucson tradition, dating back to 1990. It a time when worlds come together and the dead are remembered and celebrated. In Tucson it is a very public spectacle involving about 35,000 people either walking in the a mile and a half long procession route or watching. Cumulating in the fiery consumption of the urn; the vessel carrying the hopes, prayers, and well wishes inscribed on a piece of paper and dropped into the urn by people during its journey along the route.


This year I went early and lurked around the staging area, shooting photos of the event unfolding. In past years, I have participated and that required me being at my sister’s house 2 hours early for a face painting and get your costume right party. We would then all head down to the Processional route and join in with the mass of people carrying signs, moving to the drums and raising the roof as we went under the 4th Ave underpass.

It was such a different experience this year. I was on my own, and didn’t need to worry about loosing someone of our party in the crowd, or where we would meet at the finale. I just meandered about; drifting to what ever caught my eye. With the sun still high enough in the sky to afford good light, I was able to capture a number of images, non-blurry, before the event even started.

Face painting booth

The urn,a beast this year comprised of interlocking metal panels, and the takio drum that follows

Float for the seed library

Individual costume. There's a person in there!

Carried by individuals walking along side.

Another float. 

A float remembering the maker's Mom.

I'm going to break this post up over the next couple of days due to the amount of photos I would like to share. Next will be photos of participants - I believe.