The All Souls Procession Weekend is an event in

Tucson Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

. It draws on

Mesoamerican Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, and Mexican rituals, incorporating many diverse cultural traditions with the common goal of honoring and remembering the deceased.

Background

The All Souls Procession Weekend is more commonly known as the All Souls Procession and is derived from the All Souls Processio

an event first initiated and organized in 1990 by Tucson artist Susan Kay Johnson to "express her sorrow" over the recent death of her father and to initiate an artistic ritual in honor of the dead in Tucson. Johnson had studied

art therapy Art therapy is a distinct discipline that incorporates creative methods of expression through visual art media. Art therapy, as a creative arts therapy profession, originated in the fields of art and psychotherapy and may vary in definition. Art ...

based in part on the work of Swiss psychoanalyst

Carl Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology. A prolific author of Carl Jung publications, over 20 books, illustrator, and corr ...

including his study of

rituals A ritual is a repeated, structured sequence of actions or behaviors that alters the internal or external state of an individual, group, or environment, regardless of conscious understanding, emotional context, or symbolic meaning. Traditionally ...

in cultures around the world. After her father died, Johnson planned and invited other artists to participate in a three-day ritual, which lasted from

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

through

All Saints Day All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christianity, Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the Church, whether ...

and ended on

All Souls Day All Souls' Day, also called The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, is a day of prayer and remembrance for the faithful departed, observed by Christians on 2 November. In Western Christianity, including Roman Catholicism and certain p ...

. The ritual took place in public and private spaces in downtown Tucson, and involved art objects Johnson created for the event. By 1991, public interest the ritual led artist Sue Johnson to apply for a grant from the Tucson Partnership in order to involve the Tucson community in the event, through free public workshops in art and music followed by a large

procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

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One of the artists listed on the grant application, Mykl Wells, has reported that he helped Johnson write the 1991 grant application, on which his name is spelled "Michael Wells." Wells has reported that he helped inspire Johnson's initial planning of the 1990 All Souls Procession when he told Johnson about '' Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos'' rituals he had witnessed in

Guanajuato Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guanajuato, 46 municipalities and its cap ...

, Mexico in the 1980s. In 1998, Susan Johnson transferred direction of the procession over to Nadia Hagen-Onuktav, founder of the performance troup
Flam Chen.
Flam Chen added new circus elements and musicians to create a "Resolving Ceremony" to the event. In 2006
Many Mouths One Stomach
(MMOS) was given non-profit status and became the official producer of the event. As of 2024,The Weekend has grown into multiple installations, workshops and events. Free Workshops in performance, craft and traditional arts forms are facilitated by local artists from Sept- Nov. (Mid Oct.- Nov.) Community Altar and Dedication- Jose Duran/ Danza Coaltique- An open-air, physical collection space for Prayers and Mementos to be burned in the Urn during the Finale Ceremony. The space is created and consecrated by Jose Duran and the elders of the local neighborhood. It includes a shrine and the Ancestor’s Project, where photo submissions from all over the world are projected in a rolling slideshow that frames the shrine. 2019-2021 -The Journey thru Grief is a collection of interactive art installations along the Santa Cruz Riverwalk, built to give the public experiential metaphors for emotional states of grieving. Participants could place large boulders in the “Memory Spiral.” Tie pieces of fabric that belonged to their loved ones on the Ribbon Tree, or talk to their lost loved ones on a “Spirit Phone”. The Procession of Little Angels is a free family- friendly pint-sized Procession that takes place in a public park on the day before the Procession. The Main Procession travels through some of the oldest Barrios in Tucson and culminates in the Mercado District. The Dance of the Dead is a series of Benefit Concerts and events that support the free event. The Domo is an open invitation for the procession to walk across the Mainstage. Each year's Restoration of Care Ceremony is inspired by a color or theme. Each year hosts a Musical Guest, previous collabs have been with,Tribe Called Red, Soriah, Filastine, Fine Stream Gamelan, Steve Roach, Odaiko Sonora and The Tucson Symphony Orchestra. ControversyOrganizers of All Souls Weekend have made explicit efforts to present the All Souls Procession and associated events as inclusive of but distinct in origin from '' Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos'', partly in response to charges of

cultural appropriation Cultural appropriation is the adoption of an element or elements of one culture or cultural identity, identity by members of another culture or identity in a manner perceived as inappropriate or unacknowledged. Such a controversy typically ari ...

by academic critics who have charged that its organizers and participants have primarily been

Anglo-Americans Anglo-Americans are a demographic group in Anglo-America. It typically refers to the predominantly European-descent nations and ethnic groups in the Americas that speak English as a native language, making up the majority of people in the world ...

. Similar charges have been directed at the Day of the Dead parade in the

Mission District The Mission District ( Spanish: ''Distrito de la Misión''), commonly known as the Mission ( Spanish: ''La Misión''), is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. One of the oldest neighborhoods in San Francisco, the Mission District's name ...

in San Francisco. However, with All Souls Weekend events now bringing together over 100,000 people of varying backgrounds in a public celebration in downtown

, the organizers influence but do not control the traditions participants choose to represent and honor in the event. Each year thousands of participants in All Souls Weekend activities choose to wear calavera-style makeup and objects, familiar to many in Tucson due to the city's location 50 miles from the US-Mexico border. After the

Spanish conquest The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It ...

of middle America, ancient Mesoamerican rituals merged with Roman Catholic tradition along with modern cultural interests in the Americas, yielding the holiday known today as '' Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos'' in Spanish or

Day of the Dead The Day of the Dead () is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pa ...

in English. At least one writer has argued that All Soul’s Weekend in Tucson represents a further step in the evolution of precolonial Mesoamerican rituals and Day of the Dead. Though there is evidence the All Souls Procession was directly inspired by the history of

, the organizers of the All Soul’s Weekend emphasize that the event includes and encourages all forms of individual expression, drawing from many cultures, religions, and rituals.Many Mouths One Stomach
"The All Souls Procession, History"
2014. The mission of the weekend’s primary organizing body
Many Mouths One Stomach (MMOS)
includes the perspective that death is a universal experience, uniting deceased loved ones with the living. MMOS intends All Soul’s Weekend to serve as an opportunity to approach death in a safe social setting. All Souls Procession 4

All Soul's Procession

All Soul’s Weekend culminates with its largest event, a parade called the All Soul’s Procession. According to MMOS, “The All Souls Procession is perhaps one of the most important, inclusive and authentic public ceremonies in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

today.” Participants often dress up, wear masks, paint their faces, create intricate artistic installations, and tow altars, also engaging in numerous other forms of expression in remembrance of the deceased. The deceased may include family, friends, pets, endangered species, fallen heroes, victims of war, or any other group that an individual feels deserving of remembrance. The procession is a forum for the community to engage in open authentic expression of

grief Grief is the response to the loss of something deemed important, particularly to the death of a person to whom or animal to which a Human bonding, bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, ...

, loss, joy, and celebration.Many Mouths One Stomach
"The All Souls Procession Weekend, FAQs"
2014. The procession is led by a large steel sculpture called The Urn in which procession attendees are invited to place prayers, photographs, and other remembrances of lost loved ones. At the end of the procession, The Urn is set on fire. Burning of The Urn serves the purpose of uniting individual remembrances into one

cathartic In medicine, a cathartic is a substance that ''accelerates'' defecation. This is similar to a laxative, which is a substance that ''eases'' defecation, usually by softening feces. It is possible for a substance to be both a laxative and a cathar ...

communal expression of both grief and celebration honoring lost loved ones.Many Mouths One Stomach
"Projects: The All Souls Procession Weekend"
, 2014.

Attendance and Sponsorship

Attendance to, and participation in, All Soul’s Weekend is free to the public. The event itself includes no sponsor advertising. MMOS is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

funded exclusively by donations and Art Grants. All Soul’s Weekend costs approximately one dollar per attendee. The total cost for the 2014 procession was $109,850.Many Mouths One Stomach., & Infogram
"Funding All Soul's Procession
, 2014. MMOS expresses pride in the community based nature of All Soul’s Weekend and does not intend to seek corporate sponsorship as, “that funding is likely to come with requirements and obligations we are reluctant to take on”. Of all participants in the Procession, an average of 3,000 donate while 97,000 do not. Tax deductible donations from individuals and groups, including businesses and private organizations, may be made to MMOS in support of All Soul’s Weekend.

References

External links

All Souls Procession
* {{cite web, title=Susan Kay Johnson, url=http://www.susankayjohnson.com/, accessdate=12 November 2015 Festivals in Tucson, Arizona November Observances honoring the dead