Mourning and celebrating those who have passed

[NetG]

Over the weekend, Lindyannajones, Desert Rose and I met up at the Tucson All Souls Procession. Linda already posted a thread with photos from her amazing dance troupe she loves, Batucaxe, but hopefully can be convinced to post some more over here, too! A little history from the official All Souls Procession website:

The All Souls Procession is perhaps one of the most important, inclusive and authentic public ceremonies in North America today. The Procession had its beginnings in 1990 with a ritualistic performance piece created by local artist Susan Johnson, who was grieving the passing of her father. Inspired by Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos holiday, Johnson felt she should honor her father in celebration and creativity. The performance was very well received and many artists were inspired to continue growing the Procession into its modern incarnation.
Today we find ourselves organizing over 20,000 participants on the streets of downtown Tucson for a two-mile long human-powered procession that ends in the finalizing action of burning a large urn filled with the hopes, offerings and wishes of the public for those who have passed. Inside the event are myriads of installation art, altars, performers, and creatives of all kinds collaborating for almost half the year to prepare their offerings to this amazing event. The All Souls Procession, and now the entire All Souls Weekend, is a celebration and mourning of the lives of our loved ones who have passed.

It's an amazing and beautiful event, and after losing my dear grandmother earlier this year, it was very meaningful to get out and see how others choose to remember those they have lost.

I'll start just with some photos of a couple who was standing near us, who I absolutely adored. These photos are unedited, and all are taken with my 85mm f/1.8.

[vijaysanand]

Funny caption and great set of photos.

[leonaashlee]

Great shots of this event.

[Desert Rose]

For years I thought this must be a morbid event. I was amazed to find it such a joyous celebration on the streets of downtown Tucson. It was nothing as I had expected. It was a pleasure to share the evening with Lindy and Net.

Here are a few more shot of some of the costumes that filled the streets for this occasion.

[lindyannajones]

Thanks for sharing the history of the event, Net. I love your photos and Desert Roses' shots as well. Here are a couple of mine:

[ZannieGirl49]

This is a really beautiful set. The beautiful costumes and face painting must have given you so much to work with.

[NetG]

Originally Posted by ZannieGirl49

This is a really beautiful set. The beautiful costumes and face painting must have given you so much to work with.

They definitely did!


I love how we each have our own style reflected in the photos. I love the ability Desert Rose has to see those who are off to the side, not seeking the spotlight, yet so clearly interesting themselves. And Lindyanna is the queen of storytelling with her shots, which you can see here, too. Thanks both of you for sharing your shots here, because I love them!