It is a popular religious manifestation with over 300 years tradition embedded in several Venezuelan coastal states, it is a mixture of indigenous, black and Spanish cultures.
As an act of good against evil in which the devils with their red costumes and colorful masks dance through the village to the church. It starts with a previous night’s vigil accompanied by singing, prayers and rosaries until dawn. Then the devils come out in a procession to the graveyard where they perform a dance in honor of the dead devils and seeking permission to begin the celebration.
Once permission is granted they walk back to the church where they remain prostrate to its outside doors while the priest officiates the Corpus Christi mass. During mass they are blessed and from that moment they’ll begin to participate to fulfill their promises. At the end of the mass a blessed sacrament commission leaves the church, pushing between the devils gathered at the gates of the church with dances, drums and maracas.
During the dance masks go down to the ground in sign of surrender until they fell exhausted at the end of the procession.
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