Nice note! I updated the character wiki with the explanation you provided.
Took the liberty of rewriting the wiki. Hope you don't mind. Also found a primary source in English that also mentions El sereno de la noche as a cultural belief. Included that under external links.
Edit: The word "sereno" in Spanish means "serene", but as a noun it can mean a "nightwatchman" (someone who makes rounds at night keeping the peace on the streets, but not usually an actual police officer) or "evening/night dew" (and humid evening/night air by extension). Nightwatchman here is in the generic sense and not to any named groups of nightwatchmen or vigilantes. So, I don't think there's any intended reference to watchmen.
Took the liberty of rewriting the wiki. Hope you don't mind. Also found a primary source in English that also mentions El sereno de la noche as a cultural belief. Included that under external links.
Edit: The word "sereno" in Spanish means "serene", but as a noun it can mean a "nightwatchman" (someone who makes rounds at night keeping the peace on the streets, but not usually an actual police officer) or "evening/night dew" (and humid evening/night air by extension). Nightwatchman here is in the generic sense and not to any named groups of nightwatchmen or vigilantes. So, I don't think there's any intended reference to watchmen.
Great work with the wiki! Much better than my amateur attempt. I'm impressed by the sources you managed to find on such an obscure subject.
The reason I mentioned the nightwatchmen on the previous version on the wiki was that I had read about it in the twitter replies and the images I managed to find had men holding lamps with spears as seen with the character. (https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sereno_(oficio))
Anyways, thanks for your help on filling in the wiki for this character whose reference i had trouble finding.
The reason I mentioned the nightwatchmen on the previous version on the wiki was that I had read about it in the twitter replies and the images I managed to find had men holding lamps with spears as seen with the character. (https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sereno_(oficio))
Huh. Yep, definitely a reference then. I'll edit it in later.
So sleeping with your window open in Latin America is like sleeping with an electric fan running in Korea (where Korean Fan Death was a common belief)?
So sleeping with your window open in Latin America is like sleeping with an electric fan running in Korea (where Korean Fan Death was a common belief)?
I think it's a mix of superstition and old wifes' tales, which rooted in Pneumonia/Tuberculosis diseases.
This is the anthropomorphized (and genderbent) version of the "night air" (literally "night dew") in Latin-American folklore. Traditionally, the air outdoors at night is believed to contain miasma or evil spirits that can cause sickness.
