P. 5 - LA PLAYA
WWW.PLAYACOMMUNITY.COM
DECEMBER / DICIEMBRE 2013
JUDAS DOLLS - A Pacific Coast New Year Tradition
process of creating a Judas doll takes
time and sometimes involves several
families working together. Dolls are
dressed in old clothes and stuffed with
recycled materials. Many dolls take
upwards of a month to construct. The
most difficult part to get right is the
face, as most Judas dolls are made to
look like a popular figure.
Doll makers often portray characters
effecting national life. These characters can include presidents (past and
present), or sport figures like the
Yankee’s closer Mariano Riverea.
Some are even crafted to resemble
popular cartoon characters like the
Bart Simpson.
“M
uñecos de año Viejo”
(Dolls of the old year) or
“Los Judas” (The Judas)
are the life-size dolls that line the
Panamerican highway from Chame to
San Carlos each year, near the end of
December. The often colorful and
intricate dolls are part of a
long-standing tradition to leave
behind the negative sentiments of the
past year. On December 31, the dolls
are stuffed full of fireworks. At the
strike of midnight, they are set to
flames to symbolize a fresh year free
of the old, unwanted past.
Making the dolls is a family tradition,
which takes place primarily in the
western part of the Province of
Panama, specifically in the towns of
Chame, Bejuco and San Carlos. The
Doll making is a deep tradition that
has been upheld among families for
generations. Behind each doll there is
a story and a reason why the maker
chose to depict the character created.
As the coast develops, fewer dolls are
made each year.
contest takes place near the end of
the month and is often announced at
the last moment. Participants are
awarded points for creativity, family
participation, and resemblance to the
figure depicted. Prizes start at about
$25 and go to upwards of $300.
Between December 22 and 28 judges
travel the highway to take note of the
dolls created that year. Winners are
announced shortly after the 28th.
Once the competition is over, many of
the families sell their Judas dolls for
the fires of others.
Sold or unsold, all dolls are burned to
herald in the new year. In Chame it is
a community tradition for families to
gather 1 minute before midnight to
burn the dolls together. The families
remain together until the last doll is
burnt.
If you would like to participate in a doll
burning, there is one you can attend in
San Carlos. Rancho Los Toros, a
cantina-hotel in San Carlos holds an
annual Judas Doll bonfire. For $30,
the ranch will purchase a doll on your
behalf, adorn it with the clothes,
accessories and items you bring to
them and set it to fire at midnight.
Ranch owner, Joe, tells us that people
give their doll various items they want
symbolically removed from their lives.
Some write letters, others may dress
the doll in a spouse’s clothing. Some
even send it along to a fiery doom with
a pack of cigarettes or other tokens of
their addiction. To take part in the
tradition, contact Rancho Los Toros
at 6455-2323 before the 15th of
December.
In an effort to keep the tradition alive,
local leaders will sometimes run a
doll-making contest, covering the
areas from Chame to San Carlos. The
Muñecos de año Viejo
Una Tradición de Año Nuevo en la Costa del Pacifico
“M
uñecos de año Viejo” o
“Los Judas” son muñecos
de tamaño real que
aparecen a lo largo de la autopista
Panamericana desde Chame hasta
San Carlos cada año, cerca de finales
de diciembre. Los a menudo coloridos
e intrincados muñecos forman parte
de una tradición de larga data que
consiste en dejar atrás los sentimientos negativos del año que termina. El
31 de diciembre, los muñecos son
rellenados con fuegos artificiales.
Cuando llega la medianoche, s