by Juan Carlos Ordóñez
All year long he hides under the bed or in the junk piled up
in the corner, casting misfortune or worse on helpless mortals. But on Wednesday,
December 7, at 6 p.m. sharp, the Devil gets his comeuppance, as he is tossed
out of the house along with the trash and set ablaze in the Quema del Diablo
(Burning of the Devil), a tradition in many Guatemalan towns that literally
sparks the beginning of the Christmas Season.
The origins of the Quema del Diablo in Guatemala
can be traced to colonial times, when the well-to-do adorned the fronts of their
homes with elaborate lanterns on the eve of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception,
explains historian Miguel Álvarez Arévalo. Unable to afford lanterns,
poor denizens instead lit bonfires made of kindling and the trash from their
homes. The practice over time evolved into the Quema del Diablo.
How the Devil entered the picture is the subject of some debate, according to
eminent historian Celso A. Lara Figueroa. One account claims that the sermons
of priests describing how the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception squashed the
head of the Devil established the link. What is clear, however, is that the
fires, viewed in many cultures as having a purifying effect, came to symbolize
the triumph of Good over Evil.
Today, the Quema del Diablo is practiced mainly in
the central zone of the country, including Guatemala City and La Antigua Guatemala.
The tradition is particularly popular with children, who delight in lighting
the bonfires and setting off firecrackers. In La Antigua crowds gather at the
Barrio de la Concepción, right next to the fountain, to watch the lighting
of a large effigy of the Devil and enjoy music in a community-sponsored celebration.
But not everyone cheers the Quema del Diablo, which
in recent years has come under fire from environmentalists who object to the
resulting air pollution and burning toxic materials. Authorities now advise
against burning plastics, tires or flammable materials and to take special precaution
for children whenever using fire or fireworks.
While acknowledging the need to adjust the Quema del Diablo
to modern realities and speaking favorably of innovations such as the burning
of a piñata of the Devil, Lara defends the deeply-rooted tradition as
one that helps forge a national identity. “No one,” he says, “can
claim to have the right to put an end to traditions that are the product of
the historical and cultural process of a country.”
