Venezuela Events and Festivals

6/15/2008 - 6/16/2008Devil Dancers

In many towns in Venezuela, the devil dances in the street during Corpus Christi, in a festival that mixes pagan and Catholic traditions. 'Los Diablos Danzantes', fiendishly attired, swirl and sway energetically through the streets and around the town square wearing devilish masks. The devil dancers often hold a vigil by candle light and may also visit the graves of ancestors before they begin their gyrations. To the sound of drums and bells, the dancing goes on through the night and into the day itself. While conventional Corpus Christi services are held within, exhausted devil dancers may fall to their knees to pray outside the church. A recurring theme in many locations is the driving of evil spirits away from the town.