August 2024 will usher in one hundred years of setting Zozobra ablaze—a ceremony of fire, redemption, and the incineration of Santa Fe’s gloom.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first Burning of Zozobra, a historic Santa Fe tradition during which a fifty-foot effigy is set ablaze to expunge the city of bad vibes. Zozobra, whose name means “anxiety” in Spanish, is a giant, ghost-like marionette stuffed with nearly one ton of “glooms,” slips of paper on which people write down any problems they wish to expel from their lives. Glooms are collected from the community throughout the year and at the event prior to the ceremony.
Artist William Shuster created the first Zozobra in 1924 following a trip to Mexico where he witnessed the burning of an effigy of Judas, an Easter tradition meant to rid a community of sin. Inspired, Shuster brought a version of the tradition back to Santa Fe, where he created Zozobra, a bogeyman of his own imagination.
Over the years, Shuster’s story of Zozobra has become Santa Fe lore. As the legend goes, Zozobra hides in the mountains all year, feeding on negative energy. Come fall, the city devises a trick to destroy him. He’s lured into town, and upon arrival, he plunges the city into darkness and turns the children into a gloom-bearing army. The townspeople take up their torches to fight for their children. They invoke the Fire Spirit, who eventually incinerates Zozobra, releasing the children from their trances and banishing all worries from the community.
In recent years, the ceremony has attracted more than 50,000 people. The 100th Burning of Zozobra will take place in Fort Marcy Park on August 30, 2024, kicking off the Fiestas de Santa Fe. The event begins at 4 pm with various musical acts and dance performances by local artists. Tickets can be purchased in advance starting on March 15.
