Just a quick note I will expand upon later. I'm heading off on my Semana Santa (Holy Week) vacation (everything closes down here for Holy Week, absolutely everything) and don't want to leave you all hanging for too long. So here is a brief jot about the Huelga de Dolores, a 111 year old tradition at the University of San Carlos, one of the oldest public universities in Latin America. Starting with the huge party for the declaration of the huelga (which means strike, as in a strike put on by workers against an employer) and ending with the desfile de bufo (the buffoon parade) on the viernes de dolores (Painful Friday? probably more like Friday of Sorrows) the last Friday before Palm Sunday, the whole thing lasts about a week. I have no idea what goes on between these two events, but I did get to go to the declaration party, which was wicked fun, and spent most of yesterday afternoon watching the parade. I'll post some pictures from the parade when I get back from my mini-vacation.
So here's what I know about the tradition of the Huelga de Todos los Dolores. It started 111 years ago, as I mentioned earlier, by the students at USAC (Universidad de San Carlos) as a way to protest against the government without the fear of reprisal. The students wear hoods (capuches) to hide their identity and are called encapuchados (the hooded ones). The also wear masks and costumes. At some points in Guatemala history, these hooded students were the only ones who could safely protest, as no one knows who they are (supposedly). Each department (facultad) elects a rey feo (ugly king) as does the Honorable Committee for the Strike of All the Sorrows. Once the buffoon parade reaches the presidential palace in the historic center of the city, each king makes crude jokes and curses out the president. The students carry signs and push floats with lewd representations of politicians and scathing criticisms of the political situation. Let's just say I learned a few new curse words listening the the rey feo skewer the president. I will say, all in all, it's very entertaining.
There is also a darker side to the huelga, in that in many years past it has been associated with vandalism. Some say it's the students, others say that it's criminals taking advantage of a day where everyone goes around in masks and hoods (probably a bit of both), but there has been a seedier tradition of extortion, where encapuchados tell store owners they have to donate to the huelga or their store will be looted/vandalized. This does not stop hundreds of people filling the central park to see the parade...they even erect grandstands for people to sit and watch the rey feo insult the president. I think it's really too bad we don't have a tradition like this in the States. Apparently Guatemala is the only place in the world that does this.
gracias
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