The annual burning of Zozobra will be held in northern New Mexico tonight. This is the 90th straight year the 50 foot marionette, also known as Old Man Gloom, will be set on fire in Santa Fe.
The tradition is symbolic of the burning away of the world’s glooms. It began in 1924 when Santa Fe poet Will Schuster and a few of his friends decided to write their worries down on a piece of paper and then burn them. It’s safe to say the idea stuck.
Zozobra himself is a menacing figure. He’s stark white, with red eyes and bright green hair. In years past he’s been known to let out an eerie groan after being set on fire.
His look has been slightly updated for his 90th anniversary. Old Man Gloom is usually dressed in a skirt, but this year he’s got a pair of legs, which organizer Jodi McGinnis said was no easy feat to pull off.
"It takes quite a long time to build," said McGinnis. "He’s made of wood, wire, poultry netting, muslin, nails, and screws. So we really had to work on redesigning him without a skirt so now he has legs."
Miginnis says the event has grown since its humble beginnings. It now attracts about 30,000 people to the city center, with worries or glooms coming in from all 50 states.
