Posted 11 years ago
toracat
(728 items)
An assortment of worry dolls.
Worry dolls (muñecas quitapenas), or trouble dolls, are very small and colorful dolls traditionally made in Guatemala.[1] A person (usually a child) who cannot sleep due to worrying can express their worries to a doll and place it under their pillow before going to sleep. Some medical centers use them in conjunction with treatment for disease in children.[2][3] According to folklore, the doll is thought to worry in the person's place, thereby permitting the person to sleep peacefully. The person will wake up without their worries, which have been taken away by the dolls during the night. Parents may remove the doll during the night, reinforcing the child's belief that the worry is gone. Some parents involve the child in making the dolls to further increase the psychological benefits of releasing worries, and instructions may be found online. HOLA!!!! Last photo from Wikipedia! I have been Guatemala many times, really beautiful and special!! folk art!! thanks for looking! OH I HAVE WORRY DOLLS I USE WHEN SIMON WORRIES ME! I PUT UNDER MY PILLOW AND WORRIES GO AWAY, BUT SIMON DOES NOT!
I loved Guatemala too but you obviously know more about the culture than I. Of course it's hard to study culture when there's a 3 way revolution going on! I've always found it hard to concentrate on culture with a gunfire background. Absolutely beautiful country & love the climate in the mountains.
True! I was there 4-5 times between 1980-1988, many problems, met my ex-wife there, she is Japanese and came up from So. America, brave little lady, traveling alone with backpack. She refused to go to dinner with me, but exchanged addresses and wrote letters for more than a year. Came to USA end of 89 and married and son born Mexico 1991! It was dangerous Our Japanese friend Yuki had a restaurant in Antigua and later was robbed and murdered!
I was there 84-85 while the 3 way was going on. The military had overthrown the gov't. the day I arrived & you never knew who controlled your part of the city(Guat.ciudad) until you hit the street in the mornings. Well, you sure aren't going to get robbed with somebody's soldiers on each corner. Especially if you have/had blonde hair. My girlfriend there was a teacher for embassy kids & 1 would come over ever nite to smoke ganja (with her). I asked him what his father did & he told me, "Oh, Dads head of all the DEA for Central America." Never liked to ride in the kid's BMW with the CD tag & would walk away when he started it. He asked me why I did that & laughed when I told him. Embassy bombed 2 mos. after I left Guat..
Yes some cities police and military were on every block and had these whistles to keep contact! Maybe they still do that!
Actually tora, these were communist guerrillas or military. It wasn't a good time for the country but I wasn't there to give their neighbour a good time.
It was still a great place to visit!
Oh, I love the country(high up) & would have moved there to retire from whatever I retired from. Just got established here & have enough work to keep me busy, off the streets & out of trouble. Still think about "If I had retired there". Cost of living and climate (high up) just can't be beaten! Easy to make friends there too.
Very true! I love it there but not quite right for retirement!
I need to order a bushel of these toracat. ;)
Great idea!!! thanks Jono!