While a wacko pastor in Florida was contemplating the burning of the Koran this week, I was attending a wacky event: the ritual burning of Zozobra in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The burning of the 50-foot-tall marionette signifies an emotional cleansing of gloom; and the sign of better things to come. The event begins with fire dancers taunting “Old Man Gloom,” while he moans and groans feverishly and tries to swat them away. The crowd chants, “Burn Him!”

This ritual goes on, for what seem like forever; but suddenly he seems to self-combust and flames engulf his arms and face. He continues to writhe as his whole body catches on fire, and then he collapses completely. Within a couple of minutes after ignition, Zozobra disappears into a giant bonfire.


The Burning of Zozobra

Zozobra was born in 1924, when Santa Fean Will Schuster created the mythical being for a private party for artists and writers in the community. The idea behind the event is nothing new. In fact, the inspiration for Zozobra came from the Holy Week celebrations of the Yaqui Indians of Mexico, where an effigy of Judas, filled with fireworks, is led around their villages on a donkey and later burned.

These days, the Zozobra Festival has become the year’s largest fundraiser for the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe.