The Spanish Holiday Of Jumping Over Babies - Alternative View

The Spanish Holiday Of Jumping Over Babies - Alternative View
The Spanish Holiday Of Jumping Over Babies - Alternative View

Video: The Spanish Holiday Of Jumping Over Babies - Alternative View

Video: The Spanish Holiday Of Jumping Over Babies - Alternative View
Video: Baby-jumping festival in Spain - Lonely Planet travel video 2024, March
Anonim

It is no coincidence that the ancient rite “El Colacho” regularly takes pride of place in the ranking of the strangest festivals on the planet.

The action itself is usually timed to coincide with one of the Catholic celebrations. For example, after the Catholic holiday of Corpus Christi, the central streets of the small Spanish town of Castillo de Murcia, near the old Castilian capital of Burgos, become the arena for an action that can shock the uninformed viewer.

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This strange performance, originating from an ancient ritual, takes place annually in the city of Castillo de Murcia. For the holiday, crowds of tourists and the media come there, despite the fact that the city is inhabited by 275 people.

Right on the old pavement, the townspeople set up improvised cots on which children under 12 months of age are laid. Further, the main participants of the mystery appear on the "stage" - men from the brotherhood of Santisimo-Sacramento de Minerva in bright yellow-red suits and masks of "devils". One by one, the mummers jump over the ranks of defenseless babies with the agility of athletes. This tradition dates back to the 17th century.

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This strange ritual, dating back to 1620, is designed to cleanse children's souls and protect them from the forces of evil. It is believed that men in bright tights are the personification of the fleeing devil, who, having jumped over children, takes away illness and misfortune from them, relieves the evil eye, damage and the influence of dark forces.

After passing the entire "obstacle course", children are showered with flower petals and solemnly carried to the place of the final feast, on the square, near the main city temple.

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Such a strange custom, based on ancient rituals of protection from the evil eye and corruption, began to be practiced in the city from about the 1620s. Residents of Castillo de Murcia believe that in this way their children receive a special blessing that adds "strength" to the church ritual of baptism. Jumping "devils" symbolically take the original sin upon themselves, endowing the little participants of "El Colacho" with the special patronage of heaven.

To prove the effectiveness of the ceremony, the locals cite statistics, according to which, for the entire time of the ceremony, not a single baby was injured in it.

Adult viewers are also given a chance to "cleanse themselves" if the red-and-yellow "devil" contrives to hit them with a whip during the procession through the city, which precedes the "Jumping over children" itself. So those who are planning their summer vacation with newborns can spend this time with benefit in sunny Spain - at the same time cleanse themselves from sins.

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The Catholic Church does not approve of this rite; however, if you look at it objectively, the custom of rinsing children in cold water during baptism is much more dangerous. The most amazing thing about the Colacho ritual is that it is carried out in modern civilized Europe: perhaps civilization cannot expel the magic and miraculous from family rituals, even if this is associated with danger.