Single Cell Traditions
by Katerina Kostadinova
Most cultures have traditions associated with death. Understanding and accepting death is healthy for a society. This acknowledgement, along with traditional rituals, can vary widely across the planet. For instance, every year on Passover, my mother bakes a cake and shares it with the neighborhood. It is her remembrance of the ones that left us. She gives sweets to help us with the mourning process; accept death and enjoy a dessert.
In Key West, we do life and death in a slightly different way. The Zombie Bike Ride is a parade of creatures reanimated from death. There are so many portrayals of death along the bike route; a stabbed nurse, poisoned pirate, hanged prisoner ... you name it! There's no telling if people come to kill their alter ego or bring it forth symbolically. There are many individual ideas, as well as themed groups with elaborate outfits -- they all have invested much time and effort into their zombie costumes. That's the beauty of it: we're all in it together but for different reasons.
Pagan cultures had traditions of gathering together on days important for agricultural or hunting lifestyles. They dances and sang in frightening costumes to scare away evil spirits, begin a new season free from negative energy and to prepare for the work ahead. Scheduled right before the long week of Fantasy Fest, Zombie Bike Ride gets us excited for the events ahead. In this way, the parade fulfills the natural need of society to release stagnant energy and replace it with a moving force. We need that symbolic push start for a fresh, new season.
The Zombie Bike Ride stands the test of time and will remain our culture's signature. Not only because it's fun and engaging, but because it promotes an active community. The ride mirrors our Key West way of life. It's nontraditional, expressive, party-oriented, hard-work inspired, and just a little crowded. On Sunday, we will unite upon our bicycles and tap into the flow; where individual meets collective, and align as a single cell into the organism. That is the Zombie Bike Ride.
