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Feel the Heat at Guatemala’s Burning Devil Festival
Published by Denise Beresford, Writer
Country: Guatemala 
The Experience
If you’ve had a bad year and want to set things right, then Guatemala’s Burning Devil Festival (Quema del Diablo), may appeal to you. Held annually on December 7, in Antigua, and other regional centres, at exactly 6pm an effigy of the Devil is set alight to represent the purging of evil.
Originating in colonial times Quema del Diablo is done in preparation for the Feast of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, the patron saint of Guatemala. In those times, people who could afford it, adorned the fronts of their houses with lanterns, but eventually, the poor who could not afford lanterns began piling all the year’s rubbish in the front of their houses. Over time, it was formalized and individuals started burning garbage and communities started to burn the Devil to clear way for Mary’s Feast.
Guatemalan’s believe the devil lives in the rubbish and accumulated junk in their homes and for a week before the festival, they will be spring-cleaning and piling their rubbish on the side walk. The idea is to burn all the bad from the previous year and start anew from the ashes. In recent times this has caused some controversy as people do not discriminate with their rubbish which often causes toxic fumes and the burnt rubbish is left lying on the sidewalk. Locals are now encouraged to buy Devil piñatas and have a symbolic purging.
Quemo Del Diablo is a night filled with fire, smoke, noise and merriment as people rejoice in getting rid of the old and heralding in the new. The streets are lined with mini bonfires and fireworks, a thick pungent smoke settles over the city and the air is full of the smell of burning rubbish and gasoline. If you have respiratory problems, precautions should be taken.
Crowds wearing light-up devil horns and red faces, gather in the streets, dancing to marimba bands, eating sizzling meats from side-walk stalls and wait for the big moment. A procession leads crowds to gather round the large Devil effigy glaring menacingly at them with a cigarette hanging from its mouth, pointy horns and flaring ribbed wings, looking as if it is ready to fly down from its perch and attack them. But this is not the devil’s night and just before six the Devil’s will is read in a dramatic monologue.
The Devil’s message is strikingly regretful as he says he has dreamt of a Guatemala with no corruption, kidnapping, gangs, violence, poverty or drug addiction but has awaken to the fact that this is a sad and cruel reality and that is why he lives below. He ends by saying one reaps what one sows and in doing so he has spoken the dreams of all Guatemalans.
As the claims against the Devil are read, the crowd goes wild, calling out while children look on in anticipation and fear. There is a dramatic countdown and precisely at 6pm the fire is lit and the Devil goes up in flames. His wings are filled with fireworks and the sparks fly.
As the flames continue to burn, the Devil is reduced to ashes and soon only cinders remain. In the wake of the burning a band plays and the crowd dances on into the night. With their demons faced down, another year in Guatemala has come to a close.
Originating in colonial times Quema del Diablo is done in preparation for the Feast of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, the patron saint of Guatemala. In those times, people who could afford it, adorned the fronts of their houses with lanterns, but eventually, the poor who could not afford lanterns began piling all the year’s rubbish in the front of their houses. Over time, it was formalized and individuals started burning garbage and communities started to burn the Devil to clear way for Mary’s Feast.
Guatemalan’s believe the devil lives in the rubbish and accumulated junk in their homes and for a week before the festival, they will be spring-cleaning and piling their rubbish on the side walk. The idea is to burn all the bad from the previous year and start anew from the ashes. In recent times this has caused some controversy as people do not discriminate with their rubbish which often causes toxic fumes and the burnt rubbish is left lying on the sidewalk. Locals are now encouraged to buy Devil piñatas and have a symbolic purging.
Quemo Del Diablo is a night filled with fire, smoke, noise and merriment as people rejoice in getting rid of the old and heralding in the new. The streets are lined with mini bonfires and fireworks, a thick pungent smoke settles over the city and the air is full of the smell of burning rubbish and gasoline. If you have respiratory problems, precautions should be taken.
Crowds wearing light-up devil horns and red faces, gather in the streets, dancing to marimba bands, eating sizzling meats from side-walk stalls and wait for the big moment. A procession leads crowds to gather round the large Devil effigy glaring menacingly at them with a cigarette hanging from its mouth, pointy horns and flaring ribbed wings, looking as if it is ready to fly down from its perch and attack them. But this is not the devil’s night and just before six the Devil’s will is read in a dramatic monologue.
The Devil’s message is strikingly regretful as he says he has dreamt of a Guatemala with no corruption, kidnapping, gangs, violence, poverty or drug addiction but has awaken to the fact that this is a sad and cruel reality and that is why he lives below. He ends by saying one reaps what one sows and in doing so he has spoken the dreams of all Guatemalans.
As the claims against the Devil are read, the crowd goes wild, calling out while children look on in anticipation and fear. There is a dramatic countdown and precisely at 6pm the fire is lit and the Devil goes up in flames. His wings are filled with fireworks and the sparks fly.
As the flames continue to burn, the Devil is reduced to ashes and soon only cinders remain. In the wake of the burning a band plays and the crowd dances on into the night. With their demons faced down, another year in Guatemala has come to a close.
When to Go to Quema Del Diablo
Places to Stay Nearby
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Set in the city centre, the Hotel Casa del Parque provides for easy access to Antigua Guatemala's sightseeing and entertainment and offers an outdoor pool, ... 0 miles away
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Located in the city centre, the Porta Hotel Antigua allows for easy access to Antigua Guatemala's shopping, sightseeing and entertainment. The area is famous for ... 0 miles away
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