Curse

Every year, on the first day of the Vernal equinox, the village of Bonvento, Portugal, grows silent for twenty-one days. This well-known and yet unexplained phenomenon causes every living creature--human, animal, plant, or other--within two miles of the village's center to fall into a deep sleep.

The phenomenon and the cultural practices that formed around it are collectively known as the Sonos de Bonvento. In 2012, they became protected as Intangible Cultural Heritage under UNESCO, and two years later, in 2014, the Foulkes Institute of Observation classified it as a Curiosity of Major Interest. These are points of great pride for the residents of the small village, who have been victims of several displacement attempts since its settling in the early 11th century. More recently, the people of Bonvento were able to fend off a private investor who attempted to purchase some part of the village, including its historic center.

The history of the Sonos de Bonvento is, to this day, poorly understood. Despite local legends about a "child of dirt" from whose stone spine the local pillory was carved, there is precious little to draw from historical records other than the village's existence and occasional references to a ‘cursed land, best avoided’ present in the general area.

The phenomenon's cultural impact is, on the other hand, undeniable.

Every Spring, the small village swells up with tourists and observers, who wish to observe the festivities leading up to the Sonos. Older residents don their traditional garb, known as the traje de sono (a full-body suit assembled from corn ears, straw, and pine needles, made to resemble a monster) and form a circle around the town's pillory. This vigil, which often lasts an entire day, is punctuated by recitings of the famous lamento do pelourinho, a small prayer that reads: "Dorme, dorme, filho da terra/A pedra sangra, mas não quebra."

While welcomed during the festivities, few tourists are allowed to partake in the Sonos themselves, as after the sun has set, all but locals and guests of honor are allowed to remain. Those chosen to stay are given a seat on the pillory's steps and told to wait until the Sonos take them.

There is no known footage of the Sonos, the village forbids cameras during the festivities. As drones become more common, some hobbyists have broken local legislation and attempted to capture the phenomenon, leading to a series of hoaxes where the pillory is shown opening and dripping a black substance.

As of 2019, armed volunteers guard the outskirts of Bonvento during the Sonos, shooting drones on sight.

It is not uncommon for the village to fill with wildlife during the Sonos, attracted by the promise of food and sent into a slumber the moment they step across the invisible border. Birds are often seen falling from the skies and lying dead, untouched by predators or decay for as long as the phenomenon lasts.

Those who have experienced the Sonos de Bonvento describe them as a restful sleep full of dreams they cannot recall, but in which they all participate and toil towards a shared goal. Many attest to an improved mood, mental clarity, and sense of purpose after waking up. Their health benefits are undeniable as well; it is not uncommon for those who regularly partake in the Sonos to reach their 120th or even 140th birthday.

After twenty-one days of slumber, the people of Bonvento hang their trajes de sono and go back to their daily lives. They return to their houses to find them as they left them, with their clothes still drying, their furniture free of dust, and the food on their table still unspoiled.

It is suggested by authorities that Sonos participants do not attempt to recall what they dreamed.