Beware, it’s Niños Inocentes Day

Folks, beware! Today is Niños Inocentes Day, and people are wont to play tricks on unsuspecting victims in this Philippine version of April Fools’ Day.

Usually, the tricks involve borrowing money and some little things – never to be repaid or returned in the spirit of fun.

Oftentimes, the "trickster" comes around with a poker face and, with a seriousness worthy of an acting award, explains the exigency of the need for some money. Then, upon receipt of the money, the "trickster" says, "Thank you, ha, na-Niños Inocentes kita (Thank you I put one over you)."

While fun-loving Filipinos celebrate Niños Inocentes Day like it were April Fool’s Day, the day has a religious background to it. It commemorates the massacre of children two years old and under during the year Jesus Christ was born — the first martyrs of Christendom.

In church services today, the story of the massacre of infants will be recounted in the Scripture Reading of Matthew 2:13-18 (The Escape to Egypt) which goes: When they (the Magi) had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, " take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where they stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I call my son."

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

"A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."

And touched by the story, the faithful will pray today to the child martyrs, the Holy Inocents who will be among the angels and saints chosen to accompany Jesus in His Second Coming.

But beware today as there are people out there eager to re-enact the part of the story when the Magi outwitted Herod. Of course, they may not mind being outwitted, too, now that they know it is Niños Inocentes Day today. – Felix de los Santos