Santa’s Not the Only Star of the Christmas Season

What?! There’s someone else aside from Santa? The most popular character during the holidays is Santa Claus. The jolly man in the red suit is known all over the globe as the man who knows when you have been naughty or nice. But apart from Santa, there are other popular characters that pop up during this festive time. Jolly St. Nick (the basis for the man in red, white and black, Santa Claus) shares the limelight with a few good and not so good characters this season. It’s time to find out who’s out during the Yuletide season.

The Devil

Yes, the devil is a popular character during Christmas. Surprising, huh? Not for the people of Guatemala. The most popular Christmas tradition involves toasting the devil into smithereens. After spending years hiding under beds or in piled up junk and casting all sorts of bad luck and misfortune on unsuspecting mortals, the devil finally gets what’s coming to him. Guatemalans have a date with the devil each year at exactly 6 p.m. of December 7. Effigies or images of the devil are thrown out of dwellings together with the trash. The effigies are set afire in the tradition known as Quema del Diablo or Burning of the Devil. This seemingly un-Christmassy custom is actually how the Guatemalans start their Christmas season. The burning of the devil and the trash serves as a form of purification, a depiction of good’s triumph over evil. Children are delighted with the tradition and participate by lighting the bonfire or setting off a firecracker or two. Quema del Diablo is a celebration like no other.