Day of the Devil/ Burn the Devil Day

December 7th each year is called, "Day of the Devil" or "Burn the Devil Day". On this date, people ceremoniously burn a figure of the devil out in the street in front of their house. They also take trash from their home and place it in a mound on the street to burn. Starting at 6 pm, everyone lights the fires . . . right in the street! Lots of fireworks are also set off and there is general festivity and pandemonium.


The 3-foot high devil figures, made the same way as they make pinatas, are sold all around. The body is a wire frame, covered with newspaper, and then colored paper.

Apparently, the idea is that this 'burning of the devil', and taking trash out of the house to burn, symbolizes the purifying of the house for the Christmas (Navidad) season. Devil day is not 'practiced' by evangelical (protestant) Christians, nor by those in the more rural villages/areas.