El Viejo de Año Nuevo: Veracruz’s strangest celebration

There’s thing much distinctly typical of the holidays successful Veracruz than spotting your archetypal “old man” wandering the streets — sometimes connected fire. To the uninitiated it whitethorn dependable odd, if not violently eerie. But it’s a notation to a century-old solemnisation known arsenic “El Viejo de Año Nuevo,” successful which “Jarochos” (Veracruz natives) throughout the coastal authorities extremity each twelvemonth wrong a festive spectacle. And it’s worthy seeing the uniquely Veracruzano custom.

The state’s upbeat estimation is connected afloat display arsenic hordes of participants dispersed joyousness successful the signifier of creation and euphony portion dressed up aged men and occasionally aged women (characterized by fake achromatic hairs, a disheveled beard for the men, a cane, and often a Jarocho outfit of achromatic guayabera garment and pants, with a matching achromatic chapeau oregon accepted formal for the ladies). In galore indigenous communities, the “old man” is represented with accepted masks and songs. Whatever the appearance, “El Viejo de Año Nuevo” is 1 of the state’s proudest traditions, bringing unneurotic participants of assorted ages for the annual, intergenerational affair. 

“El Viejo” isn’t conscionable for men either. While rarer, aged women tin beryllium spotted connected the thoroughfare arsenic well. (Alberto Roa/Cuartoscuro)

It begins connected Christmas Day, which successful Mexico is predominantly celebrated arsenic Nochebuena connected Christmas Eve and ends connected January 1. There are variations of the celebration, too. In immoderate places, determination is “la quema del viejo.” In this case, effigies of aged men get burned astatine midnight to reset the calendar and ward disconnected antagonistic spirits. These effigies are dressed up to look arsenic elders, and are customarily stuffed with dried banana leaves. The burning of these “old men” dates backmost centuries to traditions brought implicit from the Spaniards. And not each assemblage partakes successful the pyres, either. 

For my parents and household members who grew up successful Veracruz’s capital, Xalapa, each año nuevo began afresh with “El Viejo,” thing arsenic customary for them arsenic it is to devour tamales and pambazos. My dada recounts his memories arsenic a kid and teen successful Xalapa. In his retelling, helium and his friends would spell astir Xalapa and ticker radical of each ages dressed arsenic aged men arsenic they played music, asked for money, and sang the age-old lyrics (which has since been modernized into assorted remixes) past midnight.

The celebratory procession is said to person started arsenic a labour protestation successful 1875 successful the larboard metropolis of Veracruz. As the fable goes, a radical of dock workers didn’t person their yearly “aguinaldo,” oregon Christmas bonus, and began to request their dues by gathering successful the streets. Another mentation of the communicative differs successful that the workers were demanding to instrumentality location unclaimed shipments astatine the extremity of the year, arsenic was customary, but were forcefully denied by the port’s managers. 

In effect to not receiving the end-of-year rewards, a antheral who is simply known by his past name, Bovril, took complaint and began to marque sound extracurricular of the larboard managers’ homes, until crowds of much workers gathered, with the intent to cod wealth and goods. The adjacent year, the dock workers repeated their actions but dressed up arsenic aged men, oregon “viejos.” It’s unclear precisely however the costume became popularized.

In a vastly antithetic telling, multiple sources person besides cited a Korean immigrant who brought implicit the customized portion wearing a disguise successful the streets of Veracruz until children started to travel him around, dancing and singing. Whatever the origin, it’s stronger than ever successful Veracruz, wherever the existent Governor, Rocío Nahle García, is presently pushing a run to observe the customized with tourists and locals alike with the tagline “¡Veracruz está de la moda!”. But for many, it doesn’t request immoderate marketing, since it’s a signifier that has been passed down implicit generations.

“It’s a civilization that is preserved successful each pueblo,” said a subordinate successful an interrogation with Cronica de Xalapa. “We support the philharmonic aspect. That’s what keeps the contented fresh. We adhd bushed and it keeps america agreed by bringing much joyousness to homes.”

To beryllium sure, each portion passim Veracruz — including Cordoba, Veracruz-Boca del Río, Xalapa, Orizaba and galore others — volition big their ain mentation of a parade. The state’s main lawsuit volition instrumentality spot astatine Parque Zamora successful Veracruz opening astatine 1 p.m. In the evening, a fireworks show volition hap astatine adjacent la Plaza del Migrante Libanés, Villa del Mar, Asta Bandera, Hotel Lois y Plaza de los Valores. 

Alan Chazaro is the writer of This Is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album , Piñata Theory and Notes From the Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge (Ghost City Press, 2021). He is simply a postgraduate of June Jordan’s Poetry for the People programme astatine UC Berkeley and a erstwhile Lawrence Ferlinghetti Fellow astatine the University of San Francisco. His penning tin beryllium recovered successful GQ, NPR, The Guardian, L.A. Times and more. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, helium is presently based successful Veracruz.