Thousands Mourn, Celebrate at the Largest Procession Parade in the U.S.

As Kris Munoz put on face paint and slipped into costume for the All Souls Procession in Tucson, three people were on his mind.

His grandfather, grandmother and uncle. 

They were all deceased but still very much alive in Munoz’s heart.  And today, he was going to celebrate their lives with thousands of others.

Munoz has carried framed portraits of his three lost family members in the parade for six consecutive years.

“I like to pick a picture frame that fits each of their personalities,” Munoz, 30, said. “They were all different people, so I try to represent that.”

He was one of thousands to march for their loved ones in the All Souls Procession, a colorful annual parade in Tucson that honors those who have died in a traditional Mexican way. The Nov. 7 event drew an estimated 30,000 people this year and is the largest parade of its type in the United States.

Munoz often attends the festival with his mother, of Spanish heritage, and his stepfather.

“My family is a very close-knit Hispanic family,” he said. “So when someone passes, we don’t mourn them in the typical (sad) way. Instead, we celebrate their life and who they were, and we carry them in our hearts always.”

To honor the dead, those who march in the Procession wear costumes, face paint and masks. They also carry candles, create giant puppets and display photos of the deceased. In their trek down Fourth Ave., parade attendees enjoyed energetic theatrics, huge floats, eclectic music, diverse cultures and thousands of costumed participants.

Street vendors recognized political and social issues associated with death, such as AIDS, fallen soldiers in Iraq and hate crimes against gays. Ritual objects, such as flowers and money of the dead, were handed out to celebrate the dead as well.

“There were great drums and bass, and just tremendous costumes,” festival participant John Clarke said. “Everyone was really into it this year. The culture was homegrown and grassroots. It was a bunch of people getting out and celebrating their community.”

Clarke teaches at The Art Center and also sponsors the Art Club there. He brought his club members to the Procession, where they created masks, danced in the parade and gave out sugar skulls together.

“It was important for me to expose my students to this event and have them be a part of the community,” Clarke said. “One of my students told me that it was the coolest thing he’s ever done, so that was great.”

A centerpiece of the parade is a gigantic blue urn that is carried through the entire Procession. It acts as a place to hold people’s personal notes, usually written for those who have passed away. Parade participants place their messages inside the urn as it passes. Its contents are ceremoniously burned at the conclusion of the parade, with its smoke billowing toward the sky.

“People put all kinds of things in the urn – names of lost loved ones, prayers, private troubles,” Munoz said. “You can write anything you want. Personally, my family and I put prayers in there every year.”

Despite the showmanship of the Procession, some parade participants chose not to make their intentions public. Cassie Vincent, 20, dressed up and marched in the parade but did not display who she was walking for in any way.

“It was a personal thing to me,” Vincent said. “I didn’t say or put anything out in the open. I was marching for my grandfather, but I don’t think anyone – not even the people I came with – knew that I was walking for someone. It was something I did privately for myself.”

The grand finale, which was held at Stone and Toole Avenue, featured performances by the high-flying flame artists Flam Chen, music group Silver Thread Trio, spirit group Ensphere and drum ensemble Odaiko Sonora. That is also when the urn is set aflame.

The Procession is considered the most emotionally-complex public event in America, according to the Tucson Sentinel. The parade fuses an array of outpoured feelings, from profound melancholy to elations of love to haunting fear. The energy is both disturbing and gorgeous at once, and its intensity can be felt across the entire city.

“There’s a tremendous energy of excitement, of celebration, of people being festive,” Munoz said. “All races, all cultures, all beliefs go into this one Procession, and it’s amazing to see that.”