Massacre of the Innocents, Lower Church, Assisi, Italy, by Giotto (1311).
The annual celebration known as el Día de los Santos Inocentes (the “Day of the Innocent Saints,” or the “Day of the Holy Innocents”) takes place every year in Spain on December 28th, as well as in certain other Spanish-speaking countries around the world, such as Venezuela, Guatemala and Mexico. Similar celebrations going by different names take place all over the world, though the name and date differs from country to country. For Anglo expats, for example, it’s equivalent to April Fool’s Day, which occurs on April 1st in the US, UK and Australia.
While the concept behind the Day of the Innocents celebration dates back to Biblical times, today the holiday is mostly known for giving and receiving harmless pranks and practical jokes amongst family and friends.
The Massacre of the Innocentes is depicted in the Nativity façade of the Sagrada Família. Photo by Txllxt TxllxT (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
History
Catholic tradition tells that King Herod I—ancient ruler of Judea, Samaria, Idumea and Galilee—ordered the slaughter of all male children born in the town of Bethlehem under the age of two, in an attempt to get rid of the infant Jesus of Nazareth. Hence the name of the holiday: at such a young age, it was thought to be impossible that these children could have committed any kind of sin before they were killed. Legend has it that Jesus’ parents fled before the massacre was carried out, and so the baby was saved.
However, according to the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament, the massacre of these children occurred after Herod was visited by three traveling foreigners: the Three Wise Men, or the Three Kings, who warned him of the coming birth of a child who was supposed to be the Messiah and would therefore pose a challenge to his power. Therefore, the event would have had to take place after January 6th, not in late December.
The tradition of practical jokes associated with this holiday is said to have come centuries later, from young altar boys playing pranks on one another; a tradition which they passed on to their friends and families.
Local Pranking Traditions
On this day, it’s common for press outlets all over Spain to publish “fake news,” though not in the politically-motivated, Trumpian sense; just silly news stories that push the boundaries of belief, with the idea that if you believe the false story, you are naïve, or “innocent.” Another tradition on the part of the media is to prank a local or national celebrity—on camera, of course!
Many local regions or towns also have specific rituals they use to mark the Day of the Innocents. For example, in the small Catalan town of Tremp in Pallars Jussà, a giant paper doll called a llufa is hung from the bell tower. After a festive parade through the town’s streets, the doll is cut down and burned.
In Jalance, in the province of Valencia, the day is known as the festival of los locos (“the crazies”), and an individual elected by the residents as the “mayor of the lunatics” governs the town for 24 hours; people also wear their clothes backwards and adorn their faces with outlandish makeup. In Nogalte (Murcia), the streets are filled with dancing and bands playing popular folkloric songs.
The "llufa" hanging from the church tower in Tremp, Pallars Jussà for the Día de los Santos Inocentes. Photo by Joana Franch.
In the town of Ibi, near Alicante, locals stage a “flour battle,” in which important local dignitaries participate, such as the mayor, judge or police chief. In Fraga in the province of Huesca, no flour is thrown, but there is an epic egg battle that leaves the participants sticky but rolling with laughter. Other towns throw small firecrackers.
Many families have their own traditional jokes, such as changing the times on all the clocks in the house so that mom or dad is late to work, or the kids are late to school. Another traditional prank is taping a white paper doll on someone’s back—without letting the person know, of course!—which is referred to as an inocentada. In the holiday markets leading up to Christmas and el Día de los Reyes Magos, you can usually find all kinds of innocent gag gifts and practical joke ideas.
Els enfarinats in Ibi, Barcelona photo by José-María Moreno García (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) via Flickr.
While the associated with this particular holiday is intended to be fun and harmless, the festivities have also traditionally been used as a way of mocking (and thereby protesting) social conventions and political situations with which the local populace is not in agreement, and without the danger of potential retribution from the powers that be.
The Day of the Innocents is also associated not only with laughter and chicanery, but also with participating in solidarity projects, benefit concerts, or any other event raising fund for or otherwise supporting a good cause, especially if the non-profit is in some way associated with children’s welfare.
Published December 20, 2022, updated December 15, 2024.