Yesterday night many went to bed happy to know that Gerard Pique and Shakira’s new baby boy had been born, only to wake up and find out it wasn’t true. Even renowned news media organizations reported the story no realizing the whole thing was nothing more than a joke played by the Spanish soccer player celebrating “Día de los Santos Inocentes.”
Very similar to what is known in American culture as "April Fools’ Day", "Día de los Santos Inocentes" is a Latin tradition held each December 28 in Spanish speaking countries. It also consists of pranks and teasing friends and family just for fun and good laughs.
"Día de los Santos Inocentes"
Considered one of the most humorous traditions during the holidays, ironically this celebration dates back to biblical times with the killing of infants ordered by King Herod "The Great" with the intention of getting rid of Jesus of Nazareth. Although some dates have been changed, the Catholic Church adopted December 28 to remember the innocents killed under Herod's reign.
Over time the practice has been assimilated within Latin America’s and Spain’s cultures becoming a day filled with jokes and pranks. Recently, the media has become another prankster misrepresenting content to look real and mislead the public, along with celebrities who use social networks to trick fans.
However, Piqué wasn’t the only one trying to deceive us in this way. Today Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz also did the same by sending a message in his Twitter account in which he claimed he had decided to retire from music and thanked his fans for their love and support. A second tweet was quickly sent clarifying that it was nothing but a bad joke.
View the gallery above with some of the jokes from “Día de los Santos Inocentes.”