All Souls Procession

The lightening crashed and flashed in the background, feeding the ghostly mood of Tucson's All Souls Procession on Sunday night. In a remarkably serendipitous way, it began with the start of the parade, and the last big bolt struck in the distance as the end of the parade passed. At the finale, the skies opened, and the incredible act began.

I have never been to another community event so surreal, powerful, and somewhat spiritual as this. It gives me such hope that gatherings like this can take place in an informal way, for free...unpretentious and unconventional...a real sense of community...a deep connection that brings us all together...loss...yet a celebration of life.
There were few police...no problems that I know of...thousands of people...and anyone can participate. Paint your face, don a hat, grab a drum, and join in the celebration. This is why I love Tucson.

Due to the fact that I have an old camera, poor battery life, and it was very dark, my pictures did not turn out very well. I've posted a few, but if you would like to see more, take a look at this blog.

Flam Chen really outdid themselves this year. The crowd was simply amazed!

Yes, those are actually people being lifted hundreds of feet in the air by a crane...acrobats and fire...spinning above the ground...can you imagine?

Here are a few pictures from last year as well...they turned out a little better.