Venezuela Honors Corpus Christi Holy Day

Posted on Fri, Jun. 20, 2003 CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO DE YARE, Venezuela - As a priest finished saying Mass and parishioners received their customary blessing, churchgoers turned to leave this house of worship only to come face to face with more than 1,000 devils.

Outside on the plaza facing the 18th-century church, hundreds of masked "devils" crouched as a deafening African-influenced drum beat erupted and maracas rattled.

It was the start of an annual ritual in which the descendants of African slaves commemorate Corpus Christi, a Roman Catholic holiday celebrating the transformation of the body and blood of Christ into bread and wine. The ritual, which took place Thursday, is followed by two days of drunken revelry.

"We dress as devils to make fun of the devil," said 50-year-old Ana Hernandez, who organizes the ritual.

Clothed in bright red robes and wearing rosaries, men and boys of all ages take part in the shuffling and shaking frenzy known as "The Devil Dance" - a celebration residents of this quaint town, 28 miles south of Caracas, have prepared for all year.

The male dancers stomped and whirled, raising papier-mache masks painted in a rainbow of bright colors toward the heavens.

A procession of "Diablos Danzantes," or "Devil Dancers," formed around priests carrying sacramental bread through San Francisco de Yare's streets. Women and girls in red dresses adorned with holy crosses made of palm leaves walked alongside the procession with burning candles.

The Carnival-like dance, in which the devils pay penance and ask for relief from physical ailments, symbolizes the ongoing struggle between good and evil. It originated in southern Spain in the fifth century, when the Catholic church used the dance to convert pagans to Christianity.

"This symbolizes the triumph of Jesus Christ over the temptations of Lucifer, sin and death," Bishop Ovidio Perez told his congregation.

In Venezuela, the tradition dates to 1742, when liberal priests used it to include African slaves who were not permitted to worship in the same church as their white masters.

Venezuela abolished slavery in 1854, but descendants of slaves in San Francisco de Yare, now joined by others of mixed race, have preserved the religious tradition in this South American nation of 24 million.

The ritual mixes indigenous, African and Spanish traditions. The circling and stamping are derived from indigenous movements, while the cross step comes from Andalusian dances in Spain.

Dancer Alexis Gonzalez, a 50-year-old carpenter who started participating in the ritual when he was just 3, said he believes because of his involvement in Yare's Corpus Christi ritual his mother's ulcer was miraculously cured.

The oldest and most experienced dancer, called "El Primer Capataz," or "The Foreman," wears a mask with four horns.

The Foreman reaches that position if he demonstrates good behavior in the community throughout his lifetime and remains the maximum authority until his death.

In a hierarchical order, the Foreman is followed in line by two overseers, who wear three-horned masks. Other dancers have two horns.

"You can't get any more Venezuelan than this," said Julie Buell, a 35-year-old American who came from the capital with her family to see the ritual. "It's great to see traditions like these continue while the world is constantly changing."