MALVAS

Caribbean The Dancing Devils of the Naiguatá people

Caribbean The Dancing Devils of the Naiguatá people

The Dancing Devils of the Naiguatá people, dance on Corpus Christi Thursday, but it is the eve that really typifies them from the rest of the dancing devils of...
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The Dancing Devils of the Naiguatá people, dance on Corpus Christi Thursday, but it is the eve that really typifies them from the rest of the dancing devils of Venezuela. On Thursday, the dancers are distributed through the streets while the Mass is celebrated to the Blessed Sacrament, to which they have no access. The same members print motifs such as circles, crosses and multicolored stripes on pants and shirts, while zoomorphic figures inspired by marine fauna stand out in the masks.
The non-presence of devils in the church has ritual significance, the opposite is interpreted as a challenge to Catholic icons. It is at this moment that the notion of renewal becomes important: the act of respect for the image of the Blessed Sacrament allows us to think of a rebirth of faith, and consequently the reconstruction of the world takes place.

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