The Story Of Guatemala’s Worries

There is a tradition from the Mayan Indians who influenced the Guatemalan highlands that when  children are scared or suffering from nightmares, they are given a puppet while they go to bed.  The children put the doll under the pillow. When they wake up, their worries are gone.

Puppet dolls belong to an incredible Guatemalan tradition. According to this story, the exact root of which is not known, the doll carries concerns on behalf of man. Therefore, he can sleep peacefully.

Thus,  when a person wakes up, the doll has banished all the worries that would normally have kept her awake.  The worries remain with the doll. In order for worries not to cause pain to the doll, it must be considered good .

A beautiful and affectionate tradition of deporting worries

Although there are many types, usually mannequins are 10-20 cm long. They are made by hand and are made of wood or iron wire. The face is usually made of cotton, cardboard or clay. Their clothes can be made of wool or aguayo – a traditional Guatemalan fabric.

In Guatemalan culture, these little figures were originally intended to alleviate children’s nocturnal anxiety. Today, however, it is common for adults to use them as well.  They are typically stored in boxes or cloth bags in groups of six dolls, one doll per day. This will allow them to rest for one day. They are usually accompanied by the following instructions:

• Focus on your worries or problems while you sleep.
• Tell the doll what you want it to banish.
• Put the doll under the pillow.
• Iron the doll’s belly a few times so that your worries don’t hurt it. By morning, your worries have evaporated!

Dolls are commonly used as sleep catchers or amulets, and they provide an opportunity to relieve daily suffering in a natural way. This beautiful tradition supports a very healthy psychological practice that everyone should strive to implement on a daily basis: letting go of the things that afflict your mind so that you can sleep soundly.

Even if we are talking about an imaginary event, transferring your physical worries and sorrows to the doll one at a time can be a very helpful way to manage anxiety. It also reinforces the impression that you have the power to control anxiety and insomnia.

Silly Billy, a  children’s fairy tale about worries

This tradition is so strong that it has helped to generate valuable stories about the benefits of dolls in controlling children’s emotional lives, especially fears and anxiety.

Silly Billy is a story written by Anthony Brown. He has shared this traditional story of Guatemalan worries with millions of homes around the world.

The story, which can be found in its entirety in the video below (in English), tells the story of a boy named Billy who has dozens of worries. These prevent him from getting caught up in sleep. After experiencing almost every means, she hears from her grandmother a story about worried dolls, as well as their ability to banish her worries. An enjoyable story session!