#CharlieCharlieChallenge: Over 2 Million People Attempt To Summon Mexican Demon Named Charlie
The internet has been overrun in the past 48 hours with videos of people, mostly teens, attempting to summon a Mexican demon named Charlie by performing an “ancient Mexican ritual” involving pencils and paper. In just two days, over two million people have taken part in the aptly named #CharlieCharlieChallenge. The craze began when a Twitter user named @_kluh posted a video of her attempt to summon the demon Charlie and others began their attempt to speak with the fickle demon.
The BBC reports that the origins of the Charlie Charlie Challenge are unknown but many tweeters have claimed it is an “ancient Mexican ritual.” Despite the assertion that Charlie has Mexican origins, Maria Elena Navez of BBC Mundo says that Charlie is not a part of Mexican folklore and was likely created by Americans.
“Mexican legends often come from ancient Aztec and Maya history, or from the many beliefs that began circulating during the Spanish conquest. In Mexican mythology you can find gods with names like ‘Tlaltecuhtli’ or ‘Tezcatlipoca’ in the Nahuatl language. But if this legend began after the Spanish conquest, I’m sure it would’ve been called ‘Carlitos’ (Charlie in Spanish). Mexican demons are usually American inventions.”
The exact origins of the game are unknown, but the Twitter user who started the craze says she learned the “ritual” from watching other people do it. So, what exactly is the Charlie Charlie Challenge and how do you do it? The ritual involves placing two pencils on a piece of paper shaped as a cross. Then the demon summoner rights the words “yes, no, yes, no” in the four boxes created by the pencils. The group then chants, “Charlie, Charlie are you here?” If the pencil moves to the “yes” box it means Charlie is present in your home and you can begin asking him yes or no questions. If the pencil moves to no, I suppose you have a different demon in your home.
Twitter has been inundated with demon-loving teens trying to get life advice from Charlie the Mexican demon. It seems some have even resorted to asking the demon about dating and marriage advice.
The whole 1D fandom doing the #charliecharliechallenge like pic.twitter.com/nEHLkEZqK9
— ???? (@mydearhurry) May 25, 2015
Others warn that Charlie, since he is a powerful demon, likely won’t stop dictating your life till you are dead, so get out while you still can.
you all stupid people need to read this. #charliecharliechallenge pic.twitter.com/rtJQUTWfyG
— justin bieber (@TweamKidrauhl) May 25, 2015
While many are worrying about the salvation of those allowing the demon Charlie into their lives, scientists say the demon in question is likely just good old gravity moving pencils setup in an unstable fashion.
Have you completed the Charlie Charlie Challenge?
[Image Credit: Twitter]
