Each November, over 100,000 people take to the streets of Tucson, Arizona, to participate in the annual All Soul’s Procession. What now looks like a Dia de Los Muertos parade was actually started by a group of artists 33 years ago as a “ceremonial” performance. Because of the large Hispanic population of Tucson, the proximity to Sonora, Mexico, and the Procession date falling in close proximity to Dia de los Muertos, many of the themes are reminiscent of the Mexian holiday. I acknowledge that we live on land that was part of Mexico, and historically the home to many Indigineous peoples. The choice to participate in face painting during the Procession allows me to become closer to my neighbors and honor traditions that are engrained in the community.
The non-secular event is meant to be inclusive to all. It is a community ritual that is personal to each participant. Many are there to remember their loved ones, some are there to find strength to overcome something holding them back, others are there as support. This is a weekend long event that includes a day for children (Procession of Little Angels) on Saturday, and the main All Soul’s Procession through the Barrio Hollywood to the finale where a large Urn filled with notes from participants is burned on Sunday. After the Urn is extinguished, the Dance of the Dead concert goes through the night.
I have participated in the Procession for over 15 years. It is a very unique experience, and one that is special to Tucson. So many cultures use this same time of the year to honor ancestors, acknowledge the change in seasons, or pay respect to tradition and beliefs. The All Soul’s Procession is a welcoming space to express all of this. Should you find yourself in the Southwestern US during the first weekend of November, I highly recommend visiting for this event.
Wow, justo como lo pensé una publicación en Connect nos ayudaría a conocer mucho mas sobre este evento en Tucson. Gracias por dedicar un poco de tu tiempo a compartirnos esta actividad en la que has participado por tantos años @JustJake .
Me pareció muy interesante la manera en que se trata de integrar diferentes tradiciones de los habitantes de esta región multicultural y el número de personas que participan en el desfile y como espectadores. ¡Es de verdad impresionante!
This has been an annual tradition for my wife and I for such a long time. There’s really a balance in trying to fully experience it while still being respectful of the actual traditions that are being practiced. I think the artist group at Many Mouths One Stomach are very cognizant of this. They expose all of us to the different cultures being represented in the area through the Finale performance and the Dance of the Dead.
Muchas gracias @JustJake me ha parecido muy interesante y me ha gustado la gran participación y que al final se quemen todas esas notas u oraciones. Genial la aportación de la policía.
Thanks for reading, @Patttyco . The participation is incredible. The City realizes the impact of so many people coming in for the weekend, so there is a lot of support from the wonderful public safety departments. Still, it is a donation funded event. The participants and local businesses donate money to pay for the event and for the City services.
How different is Dia de los Muertos in Spain vs. Mexico/SW US?
Hi @JustJake It’s amazing to see All Soul"s Procession and how it evolved into a such big celebration. Your regular participation in events is a great contribution from your side to the community. Thanks for sharing this wonderful community event. I love all the photos, particularly the cover photo animation is stunning.
Thank you @PrasadVR . And in the years since the Procession was moved into Barrio Hollywood from Downtown, we can see the positive impact of this heavily concentrated tourism. New family restaurants have opened, apartments and condominiums are being built on the outskirts of the neighborhood, and families have started renting their homes out for the weekend at comparable rates to nearby hotels.
Nada que ver @JustJake aquí se ha comercializado mucho y solo se dedican a fiestas y mas fiestas de disfraces. No hay ese sentimiento de alegría y compartir para con los seres queridos, mas bien es muy triste. Visita al cementerio, flores y muchas lagrimas.
Este año el Altar del 5toaniversario, homenaje a 30 mujeres que han trascendido en la historia de México. El Altar de este año, diseñado y conceptualizado por Paola Perdomo, combinado con el trabajo del artesano Pedro Ortega Lozano, uno de los grandes del arte popular mexicano especializado en papel picado metalizado. Enmarca la pared principal de la escalera con 46 metros cuadrados de papel picado hecho a mano.
Love your post and photos @JustJake and I’d love to see 100,000 people including the Little Angels in the streets of Tucson. I also love the fact that the police and fire department get in on the action. Out of interest, who does you face painting? You may recall I posted about Día de Muertos (the Day of the Dead) in last November’s Country Leaderboards.
@AdamGT In all of the past years, my wife has done the painting. It has become pretty time consuming as the number of faces she was responsible has grown (kids). This year, we paid an artist to do them. Part of the proceeds went to the event & she did a wonderful job.
Still, there’s something about the process of sitting with the family and doing it ourselves that set the mood for the event.
@Patttyco Thank you so much for sharing this. How beautiful.
I’m reading through some biographies of the women being honored. There is some wonderful history on the Casa de México website, it looks like a great museum.
Love this my neighbor @JustJake ! You are on a roll with fun articles to read.
This is my first time learning about All Soul’s Procession. Loved reading that brief recap of what it is and the history behind it. The face paintings look amazing- you wouldn’t have even needed that Google Meets video face mask filter that we saw last Saturday.
Aw, the Procession of the Little Angels is just too cute.
