Today, I asked Jeft about this tradition they have here called Huelga de Dolores (Strike of Pain). The tradition has been going on for over 100 years. It is all carried out by university students at the public university of San Carlos, which has a big campus in Xela and in Guatemala. Two to three weeks before the Friday of Semana Santa/Holy Week (first week of April), the students, dressed in robes and covered with masks similar to KKK, take to the streets and visit ALL stores, establishments, banks, schools, restaurants, etc to collect money. They decide the amount and you need to pay them then and there. If you decide not to, they write your name down and you get visited during the night of Friday of Semana Santa. Your house gets graffitied with an acidic substance that is very difficult to remove. The money they collect is said to go to charitable causes, but obvioulsy people have doubts. They wear those costumes to conceal themselves but as well to make a mockery of the church people who wear those outfits during the week as well for all the processions. The Friday of Holy Week, the students of San Carlos have a parade, called Desfile Bufo (Parade of Mockery) mocking the local government, Bush, etc. It´s very interactive, and although they don´t bother foreigners, Guatemalans like to watch but try to stay out of their way, because they´ll be made to do something silly or else pay.
I personally think the parade and all would be great entertainment, but I don´t know about collecting these ¨taxes¨ and then defiling establishments if they choose not to pay. Sounds horrible. The teachers at the university are also scared of these kids and if they come into their classrooms during class and ask the teacher to leave, the teachers quietly do so. Weird tradition.
I don´t know these folks, but they have some good pictures and descriptions regarding the tradition.
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