The solemn observances of Holy Week come to a close Saturday, March 26 with late night Easter Vigil services at local Catholic churches.
The celebration of Mass ends with the rekindling of the sacred altar lights and the Pasqual Candle, followed by the jubilant pealing of bells to herald the Risen Christ. And like all Mexican festivities worth their salt, the night is traditionally capped off with an ear-splitting blast of fireworks.
On this occasion the pyrotechnics center on blowing up effigies representing Jesus’ treacherous disciple Judas Iscariot-and by extension all powers of evil.
La Quema de Judas is a deep-rooted national Easter custom that has maintained a place in popular culture for generations. The practice might be qualified as a mode of catharsis, or comic relief if you will, to sooth the soul from the vivid remembrance of Christ’s suffering on the cross conjured up during live reenactments of the Via Crucis. Historians suggest that the custom originated in Europe, possibly deriving from the immolation of heretics during the Spanish inquisition.
In Mexico’s colonial era Judas figures were made from dry straw, a material easily set aflame. As the tradition evolved over time artisans in some localities began fashioning the effigies with papier maché laid over humanoid forms shaped from strips of reed. Strings of noisy firecrackers were added, assuring certain obliteration and an extra element of derision.
Originally the effigies were simple representations of Judas-the quintessential bad guy. As time passed they took on other guises of evil: sneering, horned demons painted a garish shade of red; pot-bellied charros, presumably depicting the ruthless bandidos of yesteryear; and in more recent times, public figures of national and international renown whose despicable actions have bred contempt among the masses.
Famed Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, a great fan of the nation’s popular arts, took a special interest in collecting Judas figures. Many examples are included in the displays of the artist’s personal effects at the Anahuacalli and Rivera Studio museums in Mexico City.
The Quema de Judas has been banned repeatedly though the country’s history, principally by over-sensitive political leaders fearful of being targeted for public ridicule. In the last 50 years the custom has completely died out in some communities. In others it has been prohibited outright due to environmental and safety concerns.
In the urban neighborhoods, villages and ethnic enclaves where the tradition prevails, crowds will gather where the Judas dolls are strung up in trees or over ropes hung from buildings or lampposts, each fashioned or labeled to identify a familiar face of evil.
A sensation of anxious anticipation builds among on-lookers as fuses are ignited. With a riveting blast of explosives comes laughter, revelry and release which multiples as the acrid veil of smoke clears to reveal tattered symbols of wickedness blown to smithereens.