All Souls Procession

A huge celebration was held this past Sunday in Tucson. An amazing, spectacular event that honors not only our rich Mexican heritage but all those loved ones who have passed. This was the 20th anniversary of the All Souls Procession. It begins as a 2-mile procession with participants dressed in Dia de Los Muertos costume and make up, homemade floats, puppets, you name it. The procession ends in a large downtown lot where an amazing finale is held with music, dancing, fire, and the burning of a large urn that is suspended in the air. That urn holds the prayers, wishes and memories of and for our loved ones.

I’ve had a long fascination with Dia de Los Muertos and the beautiful art that surrounds it. I convinced a few family members to attend the All Souls Procession a couple of years ago but we only went to the finale and did not participate in the actual “parade”. While it was amazing and hugely touching, I left with a yearning to really experience and feel the joy of the procession. With Al’s passing, it meant more than ever for us to attend as a family this year and to actually be in the procession. Surprisingly, all three of my kids agreed to participate.

I spent Sunday morning preparing….I made a couple of “altars” which were to be hung around the neck, picked up a couple of clearance skull and ghost Halloween piñatas and stuck some dowels in them so we could carry them in the procession and then the part I was most excited about, getting in to character for the procession. (Yes, that's me in the photo - captured by a professional photographer as we went through the 4th Ave underpass)


We all met up at along the procession route (me, Lesley & Isla, Alison, and Marshall & Ali) and joined the revelers in the parade. We joined the procession with a group of folklorico dancers with their faces painted as skeletons in front of us and a group of dancers & drummers behind us. Within moments we were going under the 4th Ave bridge where all you saw was a sea of people. It was crazy! We walked along in the procession, kind of dancing our way along to the finale site.

We didn’t stay for the finale which was fine since the actual procession was more important to me this year. After all we had not only a baby in a stroller with us but we had a full-term pregnant woman with us too!

What makes me really happy is that my kids enjoyed it so much that they want to do the procession with me again next year. And not just walk it. They all want to go in costume and make up! All of them…even Marshall!!!

Not only did we honor Al’s life and memory by participating in this fabulous celebration but we’ve created a new family tradition.