About an hour Southeast of Caracas is San Francisco de Yare, home to the Diablos Danzates on the Catholic holiday Corpus Cristi. The devil dance is seeped in deep tradition with roots back to when West Africans were enslaved in Venezuela. Annually on this day, the "devils" dance in front of the Catholic churches and submit themselves to the Eucharist in order to get a priestly blessing before returning to their devilish dancing. Surprisingly the costumed people do not actually wear the masks on their head. Instead, they hang the mask down to their feet with a long, tubular piece of cloth representing their humility before God. The belief is that the dances will somehow give the dancers some special blessings throughout the year.

More tomorrow.