Context

It is a June festival that dates back more than 400 years and is celebrated in different locations in the central region of Merida, Venezuela. It usually happens before Corpus Christi, a liturgical solemnity celebrating the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. This is a very popular tradition since it is connected to Catholicism, the most popular religion in Venezuela. 

Content

La festividad de los Diablos Danzantes empieza el miércoles previo al Corpus Christi, en ella los hombres se disfrazan de diablos enmascarados que danzan en forma de penitencia, en tanto, un grupo de la iglesia católica avanza hacia ellos y lleva el santo sacramento. Todo esto bajo el ritmo de la música de influencia africana. En el momento final de la celebración, los diablos se rinden ante Dios, simbolizando el triunfo del bien sobre el mal.

De nina me daban miedo ver a la gente disfrazada y bailando y colocandose las mascaras grandes, y la musica era de tambor, entonces me parecia que era muy fuerte y satanica cundo las personas disfrazadas de demonios bailaban a esa musica. Pense que cundo seria grade se me iba a quitar pero haun hasta hoy tengo miedo de verlo porque de nina me traumatizaron. Pero me gusto que mis padres estubieran hay para consolarme. Entonces la tradicion se volvio un tiempo para que yo y mis padres nos acercaremos mas. 

Translation

The Dancing Devils festival begins on the Wednesday before Corpus Christi. During it, men dress up as masked devils and dance in penance, while a group from the Catholic Church advances toward them and carries the holy sacrament. All of this is accompanied by African-influenced music. At the final moment of the celebration, the devils surrender to God, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil.

As a child, I was scared of seeing people dressed up and dancing and putting on large masks, and the music was drum-like. It seemed very loud and satanic to me when the people dressed as demons danced to that music. I thought that when I grew up, it would wear off, but to this day, I’m afraid to see it because it traumatized me as a child. But I liked having my parents there to comfort me. So, the tradition became a time for me and my parents to grow closer.

Analysis

This tradition is emblematic in Venezuelan culture because of how strongly religion is tied to Venezuelan people. It merges the most important aspects of this community, dance, music, and Catholicism, into one ceremony dating way before this generation. Drawing from Bascom’s idea of folklore as a vehicle for teaching moral values and reinforcing social norms (Bascom 1965). 

This tradition uses the dramatization of the victory of good versus evil to further their religious beliefs. This is achieved with the use of a very embodied, physical performance that both evokes fear and fascination with the use of African-influenced drumming. This makes the ritual serve as a ritual of transformation and spiritual penitence. The ritual’s structure reflects Levi-Strauss’s analysis of mythic binaries, good vs. evil, sacred vs. profane, where the symbolic surrender of the devils to the Eucharist enacts a resolution of spiritual tension (Levi-Strauss 1955). For the narrator, the traumatic childhood fear of the devils’ masks and music stayed the same over time but it also allowed for a bonding experience for the family, aligning with Bruner’s view of authenticity as a personal experience within tradition (Bruner 2001). This illustrates how folklore does not merely preserve the past but actively shapes personal and collective identities, and “phantoms of romantic nationalism”, rituals that anchor a people to both nation and mythic continuity