Quema del Diablo en Guatemala

Garden of Earthly Delights (right panel),
Hieronymus Bosch, ~ 1504-1510

Many in Guatemala practice, "Quema del Diablo."

All year he hides under the bed or in the junk piled up in the corner, casting misfortune or worse on helpless mortals.

But this Monday, 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 the Devil), a tradition in many Guatemalan towns that literally sparks the beginning of the Christmas season.

~ Juan Carlos Ordóñez