Santa Fe’s Secret to Happiness: The Annual Burning of a 50-Foot Effigy

A recent article in the New York Times has highlighted an annual tradition in the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is an annual festival in which a 50-ft statue of the beast Zozobra is burned.

Zozobra is a folkloric monster that “brings darkness to the city, kidnaps children and captures their hopes and dreams”. The beast’s name has a meaning in the Spanish language that is linked to feelings of anxiety. The article details the tradition and how this year’s event, which marked the 100th burning of Zozobra, was planned. To access the full article, visit the following link.

 

Photograph: Enrique A Sanabria (CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0)