Zozobra Festival Celebrates 100 Years in Santa Fe

Santa Fe is gearing up to celebrate the centennial of its unique festival, the Burning of Zozobra, in 2024. Scheduled for the Friday before Labor Day, this event has deep roots in the city’s artistic community. Event Deputy Ray Sandoval recounts the story of its origin, highlighting the influence of artist Will Shuster, who famously chose to leave Philadelphia for the West, embracing the challenges of life in New Mexico. The inception of Zozobra dates back to Christmas Eve in 1923, when Shuster and his friends, known as Los Cincos Pintores, gathered at the La Fonda hotel. Noticing their somber moods, Shuster encouraged them to express their worries by writing them down and placing the notes in the center of their table. In a dramatic gesture, he set the papers ablaze, symbolizing the release of their troubles. This spontaneous act, however, led to their ejection from the establishment, but it sparked the idea for what would become the first Burning of Zozobra. Originally dubbed "Old Man Gloom," the festival's name was later changed to Zozobra with the help of E. Dana Johnson, editor of the Santa Fe New Mexican. Shuster provided the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe with his designs and scripts, which continue to guide the event today. The current Zozobra features a wooden frame base created by Shuster in the late 1930s, and the festival culminates with the burning of a large effigy at Fort Marcy Park, drawing crowds eager to witness the spectacle.