Mon June 23, 2003 09:25 AM ET
CASTRILLO DE MURCIA, Spain (Reuters) - A
man dressed as the devil leaped over babies lying on mattresses on Sunday as
the small Spanish town of Castrillo de Murcia held its traditional Corpus
Christi celebrations.
While many people across Spain celebrate the Catholic festival with
processions and mystery plays, this northern Spanish town has for centuries
chosen to protect its young from evil spirits with this unusual ritual.
Dressed in a red and yellow costume, the man representing the devil was
pursued around the town by a Catholic priest -- leaping over the babies in
his flight while the anxious parents stood nearby.
In all, he vaulted over around 20 mattresses each holding four or five
babies.
It is believed that the devil, known as El Colacho, draws all the evil from
the children and leaves them cleansed. Parents bring their children from all
across the northern region of Burgos to participate in the ritual.
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Copyright Reuters 2002. All rights reserved.
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