Just before Christmas the Guatemalans perform a ritual of cleansing with a day devoted to Burning the Devil! Tradition has it that the devil lurks under beds and furniture as well as in the garbage, so they spring clean their homes and get rid of devil and in doing so also clean their homes! All the useless redundant articles and garbage is dumped out in piles on the street and a big bonfire is lit with an effigy of the devil himself to boot. Black smoke and soot fill the air, but it is believed that the devil and all evil spirits are eradicated by burning them down. Firecrackers are also burnt to boot!
If you have respiratory problem you would do well to leave the city at this time as the air is thick with smoke.
