Filiberto Yanes, contact person of the Central Branch group Scout y Guias Adultos de Venezuela (SGAV), assisted on July 13 with a famous religious festivity “The Dancing Devils of Yare" celebrated in San Francisco de Yare, Miranda state, Venezuela, on Corpus Christi day.
He demonstrated for a group of Scouts at a Scout camp in Los Teques, the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Miranda, how to make small colorful clay masks. First Filiberto gave a lecture on this cultural and religious manifestation and at the end there was a workshop.
Its origins are traced back to the 18th century, being the oldest brotherhood of the American continent. Every Corpus Christi (nine Thursdays after Holy Thursday), a ritual dance is performed by the so-called "Dancing Devils", who wear colorful garments (commonly all red), layers of stripped fabric, masks of grotesque appearance and also accessories like crosses, scapulars, rosaries and other sorts of amulets. The fraternity of the devils is divided in hierarchical order, represented in their masks. There are other expressions of this particular festivity named according to the location.