Venezuelan 'Dancing Devils' keep evil at bay
Oddly Enough - <a href=story.news.yahoo.com>Yahoo News-UK Reuters Tue Jun 24, 8:16 AM ET
By Fabian Cambero
SAN FRANCISCO DE YARE, Venezuela (Reuters) - Resplendent in blood-red robes and grimacing, exotic masks, Venezuela's "Dancing Devils" keep evil at bay by cavorting to the throbbing beat of drums in an annual ritual that combines religion with spectacle.
Each year on the Catholic feast day of Corpus Christi, the small Venezuelan town of San Francisco de Yare welcomes thousands of worshippers and tourists who come to watch the prancing, twirling celebrants dressed as red demons.
"People come because they're attracted by this business of the devils, but we're really very religious. What we're doing is cheating the devil so he doesn't get inside us," said Pablo Azuaje, who as dance master leads the celebrants known as "promeseros" in Spanish.
Their title derives from the Spanish word "promise." The "dancing devils" perform in their red robes and extravagant masks to repay "promises" or favours from God -- such as cures or advancements -- in a ceremony that dates back to the 18th century and recreates the triumph of Good over Evil.
Historians in this predominantly Catholic South American country believe the ceremony originally derives from a Spanish medieval religious ritual. But, with its hypnotic drums, gaudy costumes and frenetic dancing, it also incorporates the traditions of African slaves brought from their homeland decades ago to work on sugar and cocoa plantations.
Azuaje, who has been leading the dancers for 20 years, is the most senior member of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sacrament which maintains the annual tradition.
His oversized papier mache mask, made in 1967, is painted in a rainbow of colours and displays grimacing teeth and a crown of horns. Other masks depict snarling jaguars and wild boars.
Every year, the dancers follow an elaborate ritual. They leave from their headquarters, the "Devils House," dancing to the sound of shaking "maracas," a musical instrument made from a hollowed gourd filled with seeds.
After visiting the cemetery to pay tribute to deceased "devils," the dancers head for the Church, built in the mid-18th century, to receive a blessing.
When the drums fall silent, the "devils" crouch down before the priest in a sign of the submission of Evil before Good.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
At the end of mass, the priest swears in new "devils," who dance before him and explain the reasons and duration of the pledge or promise they are making.
"I've been dancing all my life. ... I had a problem with one of my eyes and the Holy Lord cured it for me," said 21-year-old Freddy Sanchez as he put the finishing touches to his costume during the most recent celebration.
The ceremony ends with the dancers jigging backwards through the streets of the town. They visit the homes of some of their colleagues, whose doors are festooned with flowers and religious images.
"The procession is spectacular, the red of the clothes and the craftsmanship of the masks," said Hannu Bruchmann, a German student who said he had travelled to Yare to confirm that the ceremony was as impressive as it had appeared on television.
"Although I'm not religious, I'm fascinated by people's involvement with the dance and the organisation of everything," he added.
The rank of each "devil" in the hierarchy of the dancing brotherhood is represented by the number of horns on his mask. The dance leader has four horns while his deputies have three and ordinary "devils" have only two.
The elaborate, multi-coloured glazed masks are made by local artisans, who also craft necklaces, miniature statues and other items sought after by tourists.
Although women are barred by tradition from dressing up as "devils," many do take part in the ritual wearing red skirts and white blouses with crosses made from palm fronds sown into the backs.
The "Dancing Devils" ceremony is also held in other towns in northern Venezuela, but the one held in Yare, about 45 miles (70 km) south of Caracas, is the most popular.
The United Nations (news - web sites) cultural agency UNESCO (news - web sites) is expected to decide in July whether the colourful tradition should be included in the organisation's World Heritage list.
"Even if we don't get onto the list, we're going to keep on dancing anyway," one red-clad celebrant said.