In El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, the use of gunpowder is a deeply rooted tradition in Christmas celebrations: families set off fireworks that fill the sky with light, to small gunpowder figures that they sell on neighborhood corners.
On December 24 and 31, it is a tradition to prepare rockets, little stars or mortars at the entrances of houses that will be exploded when the clock strikes midnight.
And it is that apart from being an Old Year tradition, the sale of gunpowder is also part of the subsistence of some Central American families.
At the beginning of December, the vendors begin to assemble the metal and wooden stalls in which they store the different types of gunpowder, despite the risks of using it.
In the last month of the year, the governments of the Northern Triangle of Central America usually declare themselves on alert due to the health risks that burning fireworks entails. Through campaigns on social networks or with laws that prohibit the sale in some places, they seek to reduce the number of burns.
In El Salvador, for example, the sale of medium-sized mortars, volcanoes or little stars for children is allowed. However, there are artifacts, such as whistlers or large mortars, which are prohibited by law.
Despite this, reports of burns always appear at the start of a new year. In December 2021, 305 people were burned as a result of the misuse and manipulation of gunpowder in El Salvador. Of these, 114 burned were under 18 years of age, according to the Ministry of Health of that country.
Meanwhile, last December in Guatemala, the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS) declared the pediatric units of the hospital network on maximum alert because the majority of those burned during the Christmas holidays were minors.
Between December 24 and 31, the main hospitals and fire units in that country attended at least 63 emergencies due to gunpowder burning, according to official figures.
As for Honduras, the Honduran Foundation for the Burned Child (Fundaniquem) reported 18 burned children in recent festivities.
Burns are not the only trigger for this tradition: a report from the Ministry of the Environment of El Salvador noted that last year there was a “significant increase” of particulate matter in the air due to the burning of gunpowder.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains in an article that said material is a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets that coexist in the air.
“Particles smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter pose the greatest problems because they can reach the depth of the lungs and some reach the bloodstream,” the entity states.
In El Salvador, the environmental public institutionreported particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. What generated “air pollution” at the beginning of 2022.
Plans for this Christmas and New Year
Despite the fact that gunpowder is freely available in the region (with the exception of some municipalities in Honduras), there are countries that continue to bet on burn prevention campaigns.
In El Salvador, the government activated the “End of the Year Plan”, in which they promote messages on social networks about the proper use of gunpowder. Likewise, they supervise the sale of the same in conjunction with various institutions.
Guatemala, for its part, has already started with its “Plan Belén”, which seeks to reduce the risks of accidents due to the production, sale and use of gunpowder.
In the Honduran capital they spread the message “counts are not toys.” In this country, the use and sale of gunpowder is prohibited in some municipalities, including Tegucigalpa and El Progreso.
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel Youtube and activate notifications, or follow us on social networks: Facebook, Twitter and instagram.
