The bolo at the baptism
The “Bolo” tradition at baptism celebrations
This weekend I attended a special celebration, the baptism of my niece. Only 11 months old, could she understand what was about to happen? Perhaps not, but years later when she looks back at photos/video of the event, she’ll see that a hundred of her closest family and friends came to celebrate this religous and cultural event.
My wife and I where chosen the “padrinos” (godparents), and as such, along with several traditional obligations, one stands out as a declining ritual, the throwing of the bolo (coins) to the children attending the celebration. That’s me above throwing coins as the kids pick them up.
So why a bolo and what does it represent? To tell you the truth, I was not exactly sure. Probably the reason I added a photoshop filter to the image, making it a little mysterious.
I discovered an interesting article by Prof. Bill Maurer from the Deptartment of Anthropology at UC Irvine. The article Babtism: An insight into money and religion gives a nice insight of the bolo tradition.
Much like the article I too asked people I knew what it represented? The answers were mixed. Like most traditions, we may never know it’s true meaning. But I will say this, the kids had lots of fun!
Ramon
Ramon has been an avid photographer for over 20 years. He runs and contributes to several photography sites including OCSurfPix.com and OCPix. His main expertise is in advertising and online marketing but photography has always remained a top priority. For photography reviews and tutorials visit my OCPix Youtube Channel!
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