The "Día de los Santos Inocentes"

Another special day that comes around during Christmas time is Dec. 28^th, the “Día de los Santos Inocentes”, a day that originally commemorated the young victims of a massacre ordered by biblical-age governor of Judea, Herodes. The governor hoped to eliminate the future threat to his power after prophets announced the recent birth of a new “king of the Jewish people”. The word inocente in Spanish can also mean simple or naïve, and this day in Spain is celebrated in much the same way as April Fool’s Day is in other cultures, meaning Dec. 28^th is a day to watch out for tricks or “inocentadas” that pranksters are looking to play on people.