Zozobra.
An Ugly, Empty-Headed Façade.

Zozobra. He’s mean looking. A 50-foot tall boogeyman marionette often called “Old Man Doom”. Don’t worry, he’s not real. Santa Feans build him every year. He’s a giant animated effigy structured of wood and cloth. His framework is sticks. The people of Santa Fe string him up and burn him in a colorful blaze until he is gone to ashes.

In Spanish, Zozobra means the “gloomy one”. As the tradition goes, as he burns, Zozobra takes with him all the people’s troubles, hardships and travails of the past year. In fact, he is stuffed with paper reminders of problems such as obsolete police reports, paid-off mortgage papers and even personal divorce papers.

The Burning of Zozobra officially kicks off the annual Fiesta de Santa Fe during the weekend following Labor Day. The Santa Fe Fiesta dates back to 1712 when it was proclaimed to celebrate the re-taking of Santa Fe by the Spanish in 1692. The Zozobra burning was introduced to the Fiesta by renowned Santa Fe artist Will Shuster in 1924 who designed and constructed Zozobra until 1964 when he gave copyright ownership to the Santa Fe Kiwanis Club to continue the tradition.

For more information, visit Zozobra website where you’ll discover even more about the history and legacy of the Burning of Zozobra.

Reserve a hotel in Santa Fe New Mexico during the Santa Fe Fiesta.