Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Holy Innocents’ Day Is Sunday: Origins, Traditions and Hoaxes to Expect

Rooted in a Catholic memorial to Herod’s victims, the date gradually became a role‑reversing prank day across Spain and Latin America.

Overview

  • December 28, 2025 falls on a Sunday, and outlets are warning readers to expect jokes, staged announcements and fake headlines.
  • Vatican sources note the Church commemorates the Holy Innocents on December 28 to honor the children slain in Bethlehem as recounted in the Gospel of Matthew.
  • Reports recount Herod’s order to kill boys under two after the Magi did not return, with some timelines placing the episode within two years of Jesus’s birth.
  • Scholarly summaries trace the shift to pranks to medieval festivities like the Feast of Fools that inverted hierarchies and encouraged sanctioned satire.
  • In Mexico, common practices include requesting a mock loan that will not be repaid and revealing hoaxes with the phrase “Inocente palomita que te dejaste engañar,” with media and brands often participating.