Dia De Los Muertos - Tucson Style

Last year I attended the All Soul's Procession in downtown Tucson, watching as thousands of Southern Arizonan's came to celebrate the Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead is traditionally a Mexican holiday, occuring after Halloween, that celebrates the death of family members. Tucson celebrates the holiday with a weekend of festivities, culminating in the incredible processionaly downtown.

I have to admit that attending the parade was not my idea (it was a class assignment). However, it turned out to be such an incredibly fun night, and I was amazed by a lot of things I saw. This blog is going to recap the 2006 All Soul's Procession through my eyes, focusing on some of the most intriguing parts, and hopefully it will inspire the reader to come out for this year's processional on Novemeber 4th, and share in the fun!

Note to the reader: All photos in this blog were taken by Ashley Donde.

This little boy certainly was not decked out like other processional paticipants, but it struck me to see a young child (he looks to be about 4 or 5), dressed up as a skeleton at a parade filled with all kinds of "scary" images. Personally, I thought it was a bit creepy to see a child dressed up like a skeleton. But that's what's interesting about this holiday - most don't see it as creepy, but rather a joyful celebration of family and the event of death. You will never catch me dressing up my children (when I have them) like skeletons, but keep your eye out at this year's parade for little ones dressed up in these kinds of costumes.

On a similar note, I was also impressed to see this elderly woman walking around with a white mask and skeleton bone gloves, holding a small skull in her hands. She walked around reaching her fingers out at people, and that is what you are seeing in the picture to the right with the young girl.

After wandering the streets for a bit, this group (to the left) walked past, and I was again, very suprised. They were protesting the civilian lives taken in Iraq. Rather than celebrating the death of family members, they "marched" for the deaths of Iraqi citizens whom they don't know. I thought that was a creative and meaningful way to celebrate at the processional. I also spotted a man dressed up as Jesus (pictured to the right), with a sign on his back reading, "I AM NOT REPUBLICAN." If you go this year, keep your eyes out for political protestors. I'm sure with the election coming next year there will be no lack of politcal voices at the parade.

In addition to Iraq war protestors, there were participants voicing their concerns over America's immigration policies. The sign pictured on the right speaks specifically of two Mexican immigrants who died on their journey across the border.

As illustrated in the photo story at the beginning of this blog, costumes are no small undertaking for Tucson's All Soul's Processional. In fact some people spend half of the year putting together their spectacular creations. The man pictured on the left wore one of my favorite costumes of the night. Be on the lookout this year for some fantastic and creative costumes, and try to come up with your own to wear to the parade!

Finally, at the very end of the procession, I saw this man walk past me, and I think it was the most interesting sight of the night. There were quite a few musicians in the parade, including a man playing a grand piano on a moving float, and a group playing banjos and guitars, but this man was a different kind of musician altogether. As you can see he played two flutes type instruments with his nostrils, one with his mouth, and jingled the tambourine on his arm. What a fun way to end my night.

If you plan on going this year...

The processional gathers at 5:30pm on Nov. 4th, outside of Epic Cafe, on the corner of University Blvd., and 4th Ave. Be there on time, or even a bit early if you can because the streets fill up quick. If you end up at the back of the parade you miss out on a lot of the costumes and floats. The best way to see it is to get as close to the front as possible, find a place on the side of the street, and watch as everyone walks past. That, or get a costume and join the parade yourself. Either way, the All Soul's Processional is a 18 year Tucson tradition that every Tucsonan should see. Have fun!