The Legend Of Guatemala’s Troubled Dolls

According to a tradition from the Mayan Indians in the Guatemalan highlands , children get puppets before going to bed if they are scared or suffering from nightmares. They put these under the pillow, and when they wake up, their worries are gone.

Oros dolls are a fantastic piece of the Guatemalan tradition. According to this legend, whose origin is unknown, the dolls worry about the problem instead of the person, which allows him to sleep peacefully.

So when the person wakes up, the doll will have alleviated all the worries that normally keep the person awake. This concern stays with the doll, who must be caressed to prevent it from experiencing pain.

Although there are many types, riot dolls tend to measure 10-20 millimeters. They are made by hand with a base of wood or steel wire. The face is usually made of cotton, cardboard or clay, and the clothes can be made of wool or aguayo – a traditional fabric from Guatemala.

In Guatemalan culture , the initial purpose of these little figures was to alleviate children’s nocturnal anxiety, but today it is also common for adults to use them. They are usually stored in boxes or cloth bags in groups of six – one for each day of the week, with a rest day included. They usually come with the following instructions:

• Concentrate on your problems when you go to bed.
• Tell the doll that you want him to remove them.
• Place the doll under the pillow.
• Caress the doll’s belly a few times so that your sorrows do not hurt it, and in the morning they will have disappeared!

The dolls are used as dream catchers and amulets that offer you a chance to relieve your daily clouds of anxiety in a natural way. This beautiful tradition promotes a very healthy psychological habit that everyone should try on a daily basis: to relax the mind so that one can sleep properly.

Physically transferring your clouds of worry and sorrow to the doll one at a time, even if it’s just pretending, can be a very useful way to deal with anxiety over problems. It also makes you feel like you have the power to manage your anxiety and prevent insomnia.

The tradition is so strong that there are even beloved stories about how useful these dolls are to help children control their emotions and deal with fears as well as anxiety.

Silli Billy is a story by Anthony Browne, who has spread the traditional legend of troubled dolls to millions of homes around the world.

The story, which is told in its entirety in the video below, is about a boy named Billy who has dozens of clouds of unrest that prevent him from sleeping. After trying almost everything, his grandmother tells him about the puppets and how they can help him get rid of his worries. We hope you like it!