Burning Away Your Gloom in Santa Fe

Every year in New Mexico, locals build a fifty-foot puppet named Zozobra only to burn it to the ground. This ritual is meant to capture all the worries and fears of the community so they can be destroyed in the flames.

The name Zozobra actually translates to the feeling of anxiety or gloom. Participants write down their troubles on slips of paper and place them inside the massive marionette before the bonfire begins. As the wooden and cotton figure burns, the crowd cheers to celebrate the symbolic release of their collective stress. It has been a beloved Santa Fe tradition for nearly a century.