by Rachel Hill
Daily Lobo
A 20-foot effigy of El Kookooee burned to the ground in front of a South Valley crowd Sunday night.
At first, some people were frightened by sparks erupting from the monster's mouth, but when he burst into flames, they shouted and cheered.
Author Rudolfo Anaya said El Kookooee, spelled El Cucui in Spanish, is like a boogeyman.
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"Parents will tell their children to eat their vegetables or not stay out too late, because otherwise, El Kookooee will get them," Anaya said. "But tonight, all our fears are going to go up in smoke."
The burning started in 1990. Families gather in a Little League field and write their fears on slips of paper. They then throw their fears inside the Kookooee effigy. Just after sunset, the men who built and decorated El Kookooee set it on fire.
Enrique Lamadrid, UNM professor of folklore and literature, said the burning of El Kookooee did not signify the destruction of the monster or inspire fearlessness or rebellion against the boogeyman.
"The children don't develop a phobia," Lamadrid said. "It's more like Where the Wild Things Are."
Brad Lagorio said he has helped build El Kookooee since the event's inception. He said he loves the communal effort.
"It's great to create things together," Lagorio said. "That's how New Mexico started after all - people farming and celebrating together."
Lagorio said the effigy was built from donated materials, mostly wood and cardboard, and it was painted according to a model designed by a middle school student.
A competition is held each year between Adobe Acres and Harrison Middle School to find the best design.
Elycia Martinez-Davis said she has been coming to see El Kookooee every year since 1990.
"It's a tradition for my mom and me," Martinez-Davis said.
UNM alumna Julie Strong said when she was a child, she was told El Kookooee would get her if she opened her eyes when she was supposed to go to sleep.
"My family is from here, so the story is very familiar," Strong said. "At home, we used to do something like this every year with a bonfire after New Year's."
Strong said the origin of El Kookooee is American Indian.
"When Spanish colonists arrived, the natives spoke of a disease, like the plague, which they called 'Kookooee,'" she said.
