Dancing 'devils' celebrate Corpus Christi in Venezuela
STORY: Devils danced through Venezuelan
streets in exchange for holy blessings
LOCATOR: San Francisco de Yara, Venezuela
This UNESCO-recognized rite
is more than 300 years old
It's a celebration of 'Corpus Christi',
a festival that's largely Catholic
[Pablo Azuaje, Head of the dancing devils]
''I have been a foreman for 38 years and I have danced for 65. It’s something important for us because today we pay homage and adoration to the Blessed Sacrament, a pledge each of us made. Each person in uniform is paying a pledge by surrendering to the Blessed Sacrament dressed as a devil because God defeats the Devil.”
The Devils of Yare are the oldest
of their kind on the continent
[Jose Manuel Guardia, Dancing devil]
"This is big. This is great for me because the sacramental bread has fulfilled too many promises, to me and to my family, too many requests and there is no better way than this to give thanks.''
Only men are allowed to dance
through the streets
Women dance inside a house before
an altar and with a borrowed mask
