Here is a public ritual full of creative expression and participation! I’m posting just a few photos I took during the Tucson All Souls Procession 2009. This phrase from the All Souls website helps sum up what I will feebly attempt to convey here:

“The Procession is a sanctuary for community members from all walks of life to express their grief and loss in a celebration of creative energy and a rejoicing of living.”

The wings of this bat bike flapped when he pedaled!

What I most relish in during this event is the spirit of calm respect. It emanates from everyone. People line the streets for the whole two-mile route, often five rows deep. It is a ritual we observe annually in Tucson, thanks to founder Susan Johnson and the hundreds of volunteers that sustain it.

An occasional sly sense of humor peeks out, too. Either through outfits or music (the kazoo troupe!) or modes of transit like the neon-lit bat cycle. Don’t you think we need some humor, to help us see death as less of a rigid and untouchable topic? With reasonable doses of humor, remembering our dead may become more a part of our living.

I am also moved by the deep reverence many people exhibit, who walk in devotion to whomever they grieve. People wear photos with names and dates, carry decorative banners with photos and messages, or whole series of photos in lantern light boxes. Many people this year walked in memory of Macho B, the last known jaguar in the U.S., who died earlier this year.

When you walk the procession, you mingle with dancers, drummers, dancers, bagpipers, singers, stilt-walkers, children, animal companions, people in wheelchairs and the elderly. Everyone walks in a slow sense of remembrance.

Cats and dogs are remembered, too.

I was on the move the whole time and only snapped a few pictures. There is such a delicious visual feast, plus what the other senses can drink in, too! Walking through clouds of incense, people chanting and the surreal make-up artistry gives me an amazing sense of being ALIVE. Quite a paradox, really!

For the finale, everyone assembles in a huge open lot to see the burning of the urn. This giant urn is wheeled along at the front of the procession. It captures participants’ written prayers and wishes, for their ancestors or for any being whom they mourn. A crane dramatically lifts the urn while fire dancers light it from underneath during a choreographed climax. We folks on the ground remain peaceful and cheer for the sense of completion! It is amazing to witness.

Burning of the Urn!

MY GRATITUDE GOES OUT TO EVERYONE WHO HAS MADE THIS RITUAL POSSIBLE IN OUR COMMUNITY FOR THE PAST TWENTY YEARS!

I look forward to many more years to come. . .

If you are reading this and want to come join us next year, let me know! We’ll have a party beforehand and walk together.

With Love,

Kristine