Día de los Santos Inocentes
I’m almost not exaggerating if I say that not a day goes by in Mexico without a saint to honor and a celebration to carry out
Did you know that December 28th is “Día de los Santos Inocentes*” in Mexico and every other Spanish-speaking country?
Honoring King Herod’s fail at killing Baby Jesus
Historically, what happened and when is a bit of a blur but to make a long story short, it is commonly accepted that around this date, King Herod sent the order to kill all male newborns of Bethlehem and children under 2 years old, in order to get rid of Baby Jesus: joke’s on him, as we all know that Baby Jesus did survive. It is said that King Herod spent a lot of years believing that he had succeeded, though. This is where the tradition originates.
Anything can happen Monday
To commemorate this day, it is very usual to play practical jokes and spread hoaxes on friends, family, and basically anyone you know. Interestingly enough, this Hispanic equivalent to April Fool’s day is taken quite seriously (pun intended), and there are a couple of rules to live by if you don’t want this day to leave you all traumatized and with salt in your coffee.
- Firstly, do not lend money or anything to anyone: it is indeed very probable that by the time you contact the lendee to claim your due, they might greet you with the saying «Inocente palomita que te dejaste engañar». This basically means oh, you fool, but you knew that on this day nothing is to be lent, I’m keeping your [fill with item lent]. So long, buddy!
- Secondly, today more than ever, do not believe what you see in the media (or at the very least, please do check their sources). The media often take this opportunity to publish false information, and it is not always an obvious laughable joke.
- Thirdly, be on guard: make sure there is no “chicle” on your chair before you sit down, that your hair mousse hasn’t been replaced by shaving cream, that the time on your watch hasn’t been changed, etc. Today is the day to have your five senses on alert!
- Fourthly, I know that times are tough, but try to resist the urge to pick up coins on the street: they might be glued to the ground!
Play the fool who thought they were fooling you
So instead of being the fool, why not play a couple of jokes yourself?
Check these posts for some inspiration to help you get started (and practice your Spanish):
- http://www.elcorreo.com/vizcaya/20111228/mas-actualidad/sociedad/mejores-bromas-para-santos-201112281012.html
- http://www.europapress.es/desconecta/curiosity/noticia-dia-santos-inocentes-10-divertidas-bromas-28-diciembre-20141227144226.html
- http://www.abc.es/20111228/sociedad/abci-mejores-bromas-para-santos-201112280908.html
Generally though, as for anything in life really, this day is not to be taken too seriously and is a great opportunity to enjoy yourself and have a good laugh to end the year!
Do you have any kind of celebration for today in your country?
What is the best (or worst!) joke that’s ever been played on you?
Tell us in the comments!
*Day of the holy innocents
ddsad