According to the tradition in rural Chile, a baby who dies while being born becomes an “angel” and its death is celebrated. The celebration is known as “the vigil of the angel”. The child is dressed in white and given paper wings so that he can go to heaven. This funeral rite starts with mourners singing and gradually turns into a drunken revel.
In a Chilean town, a boy is eagerly waiting for his brother to be born. The newborn dies and becomes an “angel”. The next day his father carries him to the graveyard but his son realises he has forgotten the paper wings. Consequently his brother won’t be able to go up to heaven. The boy runs away from the family house and sets ont on a long journey through the town to find his little brother and give him his wings.
