Serendipitously, I arrived in Tucson late afternoon on
November 3rd (the day after my dad’s memorial service), just in time
for the annual Day of the Dead parade, which I only learned about after
noticing people were parking their lawn chairs along the curbs as I headed for
my motel. For some, the parade is a solemn sign of remembrance for those who
have recently passed from this world to the next. For others, it’s a hell of an excuse for a
zombie party. I walked in the parade as a non-zombie for a few blocks in
remembrance of my dad and stepmom. Altogether it’s become quite an event,
with tens of thousands attending. The night culminates in a fire and brimstone visual
and auditory grand finale with an eclectic mix of dancers, drummers, fire
artists, acrobats and zombies all doing their best to be solemnly odd, and
succeeding at it pretty well. While the end of it might have been a little
overdone, I was moved by the act of so many who took to the streets to remember
the loved ones lost.
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| After the parade performances. |
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| The grand finale. |
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