Eucharist custom in the Spanish town of Castrillo de Murcia: Exorcism among infants

Corpus Christi, Spain

In the quiet town of Castrillo de Murcia in northern Spain, there is a strange festival every year: Corpus Christi. To celebrate the festival, adult men will dress up as the devil of "El Colacho" and jump over newborn babies with the consent of their parents. The person who plays the devil wears traditional costumes and wields whips and sticks to "purify" the baby and bless him for exorcism. In this small town, this traditional custom has been in place since 1620.

According to traditional customs, the more casually you jump from a baby, the better the effect of exorcising the devil, but this makes the parents next to you more worried. To play the devil, you must be a strong adult man, otherwise, you may really "make a mistake and end up in everlasting hatred."

In addition to baby-crossing rituals, many young people also dress up as demons and chase passers-by on the street. If they don't want to get involved with the "devil", they'd better run quickly.