If you are in Mexico, or indeed most Spanish speaking countries, on December 28th it is wise to be on your guard against pranks and tricks (bromas and trucos) and to avoid lending money if you can. On this day every year Día de los Inocentes is marked in a similar fashion to April Fools’ Day in Europe and the English-speaking world. While the origins of April Fools’ are the subject of much debate, like many special days in Mexico, Día de los Inocentes originates from Catholic religious observance.

Día de los Inocentes, Innocents’ day, is a contraction of Día de los Santos Inocentes, meaning Holy Innocents’ Day. This Catholic festival, which has been marked in the church’s religious calendar since at least 485AD, is a commemoration of one of the darkest events recorded in the bible; the murder of innocent children on the orders of King Herod. The book of Matthew tells of Herod’s barbarous command that all babies under the age of two in the Judean town of Bethlehem were put to death. This was prompted by a perceived threat posed to his rule by the prophesied rise of a King of the Jews. Herod had been alerted to the likely presence of this king in Bethlehem by the visits of the three magi to the newborn Jesus. Matthew relates that an angel forewarned of the coming slaughter, allowing Mary and Joseph to escape safely with Jesus to Egypt ahead of the danger. Those children whose lives were taken by Herod’s soldiers became known in Catholic dogma as ‘the holy innocents’ and some have considered them to be the first Christian martyrs.

It may seem strange that a day dedicated to such a grim religious story would evolve into a day of pranks and trickery, especially given the influence of Catholicism on life in Mexico and the wider Spanish speaking world. There are however, two main reasons for the unusual shift in the focus of the day. The first is that, while Día de los Inocentes remains a feast day in the Catholic Church and is still observed by many, its relative importance in the theological calendar has waned over the centuries.  The second reason is that the term inocente can, as with innocence in English, be used to either suggest a state of being spiritually innocent or of naivety. This double meaning results in the link that those who easily fall for the practical jokes and tricks of the day are themselves innocents.  There have also been suggestions that the day was combined with various pre-christian festivals celebrated around that season which already included some element of humor in their celebration, such as the Roman Saturnalia.

Many of the pranks and jokes played in Mexico today are similar to those you might be familiar with from April Fools’ in the US and beyond. The tricks tend to be largely harmless and specifically to play on naivety or innocence, although classics, such as sticking paper notes with humorous writing to people’s backs, remain popular. The victims of the practical jokes are referred to as inocentadas or innocents, linking them to the children whose lives were sacrificed. It has also been suggested that performers of tricks are themselves playing the role of the innocents, and therefore must be forgiven for their actions. Contrary to that however, falling for a trick often results in hearing the saying “Inocente palomita que te dejaste engañar”, meaning “Such an innocent little dove/pigeon to let yourself be tricked”. Palomita in this sense refers to the small bird rather than popcorn, which the word can also mean in some Spanish speaking regions including Mexico. This saying is contraction of a longer rhyme which has many variations including:

Inocente palomita que te dejaste engañar,

sabiendo que, en este día, en nadie debes confiar

Such an innocent Little Dove to let yourself be tricked,

knowing that, on this day, you cannot trust anyone.

Another version alters the second line to remind the listener that they should well know not to lend money or property on this day, referring to the now less common trick of borrowing without intending to repay or return, which was once widespread.

Another similarity to April Fools’ is the tendency of media organizations and public figures to join in the fun, with fictious stories and announcements keeping people on their toes. Some famous examples of false news that has tricked Mexican readers and viewers in the past have included the news that Disney had purchased Chichen Itza to convert the ancient site into an American-style theme park, that Kate Middleton (wife of the UK’s Prince William) had left her husband to be with Mexican soccer icon Chicharito and that Mexico was in the process of selling Baja California to the United States. Locals know to take any unusual news or company announcement they hear on the day with a pinch of salt!

While the exact traditions, jokes and even the date can vary between countries, Día de los Inocentes is a feature of life in almost every Spanish speaking country and is also marked in a very similar fashion in the Philippines due to Spanish historical influence on the islands. The practice was also found in Belgium, again due to Spain’s role in the country’s history, however this has now largely died out in favor of the April Fools’ traditions shared by most European countries. Similarly, some Spanish islands where the Portuguese or British have, in the past, held control or significant influence, tend towards the April date as well.

If you are traveling in Mexico or anywhere else that marks Día de los Inocentes, make sure to join in the fun and beware becoming the inocente yourself!

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