Fuego de los Muertos
Encyclopedia
Fuego de los Muertos is an annual, Burning Man
affiliated, regional decompression
event. It is organized by burners from San Diego and Orange County
and is hosted in the rural and semi-arid eastern part of San Diego County.
The event takes usually takes place just before or after Halloween
weekend and draws inspiration from four traditions: Burning Man
, Samhain
, Día de los Muertos
and All Hallows' Eve.
of that year at a location that was nearly destroyed by fire.
In spite of the chilly and damp weather, FDLM managed to draw nearly 500 participants for 2004, perhaps double the attendance of the 2003 event. Two performance stages were set up for DJs, bands and belly dancers. The Mystic Art Grove had a score of art installations. Numerous theme camps were established, including the Purple Turtle Chill Zone
, Liquid O, BubbleLounge, Fahrenheit 451, Vibestation, BRC Zendo, Satreheedn, Cantina de los Muertos and Haunted Chill Zone, Camp RVIP, Xara
, the Massage Confessional, the Space Bars, Phat Elvis,and more. A wide variety of events took place including a fire eating workshop, Zen
meditation, massages, and even a wedding.
In 2007 the event was hosted at The Village, a property just outside Borrego Springs, CA. The event sold out and attracted the largest number of participants to date. Artistic expression was limited due to permit restrictions and poor weather. Once again, the event was notably affected by wildfire; it took place just as the nearby California wildfires of October 2007 began. Highway closures affected some as they returned to San Diego.
Burning Man
Burning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event starts on the Monday before the American Labor Day holiday, and ends on the holiday itself. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
affiliated, regional decompression
Decompression party
A decompression party, decom or decomp is a local reunion for Burning Man participants to help ease themselves back into everyday society after the "big event". It is not uncommon for Burning Man participants to experience "post-burn blues", and decompression events can help alleviate the feelings...
event. It is organized by burners from San Diego and Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
and is hosted in the rural and semi-arid eastern part of San Diego County.
The event takes usually takes place just before or after Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
weekend and draws inspiration from four traditions: Burning Man
Burning Man
Burning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event starts on the Monday before the American Labor Day holiday, and ends on the holiday itself. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
, Samhain
Samhain
Samhain is a Gaelic harvest festival held on October 31–November 1. It was linked to festivals held around the same time in other Celtic cultures, and was popularised as the "Celtic New Year" from the late 19th century, following Sir John Rhys and Sir James Frazer...
, Día de los Muertos
Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in many cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it attains the quality...
and All Hallows' Eve.
History
While 2004 was first year that there was an event of this name, it was the second decompression event that has taken place in San Diego. The prior event, known as "SD Decom," took place in 2003 and had an estimated attendance of 250. The 2003 event happened to coincide with the October wildfiresCedar Fire
The Cedar Fire was a human-caused wildfire that burned out of control through a large area of San Diego County, in Southern California, in October 2003...
of that year at a location that was nearly destroyed by fire.
In spite of the chilly and damp weather, FDLM managed to draw nearly 500 participants for 2004, perhaps double the attendance of the 2003 event. Two performance stages were set up for DJs, bands and belly dancers. The Mystic Art Grove had a score of art installations. Numerous theme camps were established, including the Purple Turtle Chill Zone
Purple Turtle
The Purple Turtle is the name of a group of burners, mostly visual and performance artists as well as engineers and photographers, that is based in San Diego...
, Liquid O, BubbleLounge, Fahrenheit 451, Vibestation, BRC Zendo, Satreheedn, Cantina de los Muertos and Haunted Chill Zone, Camp RVIP, Xara
Xara Dulzura
Xara Dulzura was an annual art, music and creative mythology festival lasting several days. It took place at the Madre Grande Monastery in late April, generally on or before the time of the traditional Beltane holiday, each year from 2003 through 2006....
, the Massage Confessional, the Space Bars, Phat Elvis,and more. A wide variety of events took place including a fire eating workshop, Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
meditation, massages, and even a wedding.
In 2007 the event was hosted at The Village, a property just outside Borrego Springs, CA. The event sold out and attracted the largest number of participants to date. Artistic expression was limited due to permit restrictions and poor weather. Once again, the event was notably affected by wildfire; it took place just as the nearby California wildfires of October 2007 began. Highway closures affected some as they returned to San Diego.