One of the most exciting traditions – loved by young and old alike – is the Burning of the Devil at 6pm on December 7th. While commonly burning small bonfires and a lot of fireworks in front of houses, Antigua has stepped up to create a unique celebration near La Concepción Church in town. Indeed, this marks burning away any bad and evil energy for the Virgin of Immaculate Conception’s celebration beginning on December 8th!

This Virgin, designated the Patron of Santiago de Guatemala on September 22, 1617, remains a favorite today with lovely sculptures in San Jose Catedral and other churches and always exquisite processions.

Now one of the largest celebrations in Antigua, it has been highlighted since the early 1990’s when our friend, Ángel Arturo González, united locals to celebrate the Burning of the Devil. Today, the President of the Comité del Barrio de la Concepción, Vitelio Contreras, is at the helm of the celebrations.

This year’s Ecological Devil was made by local artist, Pedro Chipix, who has contributed with “devil making” in previous years! The Antigüeño artisitic touch frequently includes a new satire each year. This Ecological Devil’s message focuses on recent forest fires when the surrounding mountainous areas were “literally in flames”. The text gives credit to the first responders who “put out the fires with one bucket of water in one hand and their hearts in the other” and noted that the lesson to be learned is that, as we damage the environment, we are kicking ourselves “in the butt” ecologically speaking. While the incredible value of our mountains and forests cannot be found in banks, “are we going to wait for the planet to bill us with interest?”

The fair begins on Saturday at 12noon and at 5pm, the ceremony begins! At 5:45pm don’t miss the reading of the devil’s Last Will and Testament with the participation of our theatrical group, Los Pregoneros under the Direction of Sergio Quintanilla, as it will certainly be full of local satire and gossip. The 6pm Burning of the Devil with local Committee members and our Volunteer Firemen will be followed by the concert by “Los Friends” and the 11pm Fireworks Show. See you there!