Going back over the photos from All Soul's, I realized I did not post my favorite from the evening. This young man was watching the festivities from the restaurant where he worked during a quick break in waiting tables.
Showing posts with label all soul's procession. Show all posts
Showing posts with label all soul's procession. Show all posts
Friday, January 25, 2013
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
ALL SOULS
I also watched the entire Processional from start to finish. A first for me.
I found a perfect spot on the second level of a parking garage. Hanging over the rail (just a little, I’m afraid of heights), I had an unobstructed view of the street. It started slow, two policemen on bikes shooing people onto the curb. Then one police car, clearing the stragglers out of the street. Then a police truck, followed by two lone figures dressed in silver, playing a haunting, lonesome melody on saxophone and trumpet. Immediately behind was the urn and its entourage.
I found a perfect spot on the second level of a parking garage. Hanging over the rail (just a little, I’m afraid of heights), I had an unobstructed view of the street. It started slow, two policemen on bikes shooing people onto the curb. Then one police car, clearing the stragglers out of the street. Then a police truck, followed by two lone figures dressed in silver, playing a haunting, lonesome melody on saxophone and trumpet. Immediately behind was the urn and its entourage.
Then like a flash flood in a dry canyon, came the throngs of people in the processional filling the street. Some with face paint, some with full costumes, some with floats.
The floats aren’t like you imagine or think of at the Macy’s Day parade. They are hand-made, often lit with lights to glow in the dark, and represent the death of a person or something a thing; this year we had a local diner and the seed library represented, in addition to a native snake, Neil Armstrong, and a remembrance for transgender people. Though the most touching are the personal remembrances, a lost friend or family member. A simple photo being carried by a loved one. Multiple photos on placards. This year there was “the house that Bob built”, a replica of a house, with photos of family members and a small diorama with skeletons reclining on chairs, and a dozen or more people with signs and a wheeled cart remembering Momma Sousa, all with pink wigs and face paint.
Mixed in with the floats and the individual participants (most in groups) are bands. My absolute favorite part of the parade this year was watching a group go by singing a Catholic hymn, followed a few moments later by a group of Mariachis, followed by a group of Scottish pipers, in face paint. I thought to myself – “Only in Tucson”.
Monday, November 5, 2012
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.
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.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
ALL SOULS
Halloween is a most favorite holiday in my family. We all hand out candy and do the typical Halloween things. However, one of my sisters spends a couple of weeks getting ready for The Annual Event – her haunted house. This year was the best yet with grown men screaming in terror, women crying in fear, and teenage boys tripping over themselves in their haste to escape. All in the span of the 25 feet from the end of the driveway to the front door.
Oddly enough the littlest trick or treaters didn’t think it was scary at all. That the dummies on the front porch swing didn’t gently reach out to brush your hand as you walked past confident in your conclusion that they were only clothes stuffed with blankets. That the tall grotesque masked mannequin near the front door didn’t silently glide in behind you after you had already run the gauntlet to reach the safe place - the front door and the cute girl pirate with eye patch and pink tutu holding the holy grail of Halloween – the bucket of candy – to just be standing there, hovering, towering, when you turned around to leave. And that the bloodied doll lying in a crumpled heap on the driveway wouldn’t come to life by twitching an awkwardly bent foot or winking one glassy unfocused eye. Tempered for all ages with the level of scary reflecting the level of cockiness and attitude from the trick or treater. Her house is legend. Neighbors come back each year just to see what is new and if they can escape without needing a second pair of chonies.
But my most favorite part of Halloween is that it means the All Soul’s Procession is just a week away. The event that says ‘Tucson’ better than any other event held in this town. One person’s idea transformed to 20,000 people remembering and celebrating loved ones who have passed. My family walks every year, face paint, dressed in costume and carrying a sign with photos of those we have lost. It is always tough when, gathered at my sister’s house getting ready before the procession, we ad new photos to that sign. The best years are those when we take the sign out of storage and without any modifications we are ready to walk. We prefer that the photo of my grandmother not have additional company.
This year I did something I’ve never done before, I actually brought my camera. And used it. Typically I want to just enjoy the life-sized horse model, the paper mache masks, the costumes and the drums. We were early this year, also something unheard of, and walked down to the beginning of the parade route. I saw it from the first woop of the police siren. When we got to the end of the route, we were so close to the beginning of the procession, we decided to walk back a block or two so we could watch the tail end of the parade. Then we followed the stragglers to the docks to see the floats cross the stage. I didn't take as many photos as I usually do during a photo shoot. Too many other things going on, I guess. And I apologize to anyone out there that I got with the flash. I hope the stars you saw were very short lived and you didn’t trip over anything while temporarily blinded.
I hope to see you out there next year. Bring your face paint, costume, masks and most importantly memories of those who you would like to honor during this incredible night.
Oddly enough the littlest trick or treaters didn’t think it was scary at all. That the dummies on the front porch swing didn’t gently reach out to brush your hand as you walked past confident in your conclusion that they were only clothes stuffed with blankets. That the tall grotesque masked mannequin near the front door didn’t silently glide in behind you after you had already run the gauntlet to reach the safe place - the front door and the cute girl pirate with eye patch and pink tutu holding the holy grail of Halloween – the bucket of candy – to just be standing there, hovering, towering, when you turned around to leave. And that the bloodied doll lying in a crumpled heap on the driveway wouldn’t come to life by twitching an awkwardly bent foot or winking one glassy unfocused eye. Tempered for all ages with the level of scary reflecting the level of cockiness and attitude from the trick or treater. Her house is legend. Neighbors come back each year just to see what is new and if they can escape without needing a second pair of chonies.
But my most favorite part of Halloween is that it means the All Soul’s Procession is just a week away. The event that says ‘Tucson’ better than any other event held in this town. One person’s idea transformed to 20,000 people remembering and celebrating loved ones who have passed. My family walks every year, face paint, dressed in costume and carrying a sign with photos of those we have lost. It is always tough when, gathered at my sister’s house getting ready before the procession, we ad new photos to that sign. The best years are those when we take the sign out of storage and without any modifications we are ready to walk. We prefer that the photo of my grandmother not have additional company.
This year I did something I’ve never done before, I actually brought my camera. And used it. Typically I want to just enjoy the life-sized horse model, the paper mache masks, the costumes and the drums. We were early this year, also something unheard of, and walked down to the beginning of the parade route. I saw it from the first woop of the police siren. When we got to the end of the route, we were so close to the beginning of the procession, we decided to walk back a block or two so we could watch the tail end of the parade. Then we followed the stragglers to the docks to see the floats cross the stage. I didn't take as many photos as I usually do during a photo shoot. Too many other things going on, I guess. And I apologize to anyone out there that I got with the flash. I hope the stars you saw were very short lived and you didn’t trip over anything while temporarily blinded.
I hope to see you out there next year. Bring your face paint, costume, masks and most importantly memories of those who you would like to honor during this incredible night.
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