Crossing the Spanish location of Castrillo de Murciain June, you could attend the event of an ancient Catholic tradition dating back to the 17th century and known as El Colachoor El jump of the colachothat is, the Leap of the devil, A rather unusual ritual, imbued with meaning and able to keep you with the breath suspended for several minutes. The choice of the name is not at all random or metaphorical: in the culminating moments of the rite, in fact, devils dressed in red and gold by climbing to great leaps, literally, Babies of the local community As a sign of a good omen.
The anniversary of El Colacho
The location where the event takes place, Castrillo de Murcia, is a picturesque rural village surrounded by hills and cultivated fields in wheat, barley and lives in the Province of Burgosin northern Spain. The event is held on the Sunday immediately following the Corpus Christithat is, about sixty days after Easter, which, almost always, falls in the first half of June.
The rite takes place continuously since 1621the precise dynamics of its origin are however quite nebulous and still today we do not have certain sources that allow to reconstruct their history. What we know is that, as often happens in the old continent, the event is nothing more than an evolution of an ancient pagan rite contaminated over the centuries with Catholic influences.
The leap of the devil
During the main celebration, groups of “devils” with traditional masks and clothing of red and gold, they move threatening On the streets of Castrillo de Murcia threatening the unfortunate inhabitants of the village with a whip. The subsequent arrival of the Attabalerofigures who represent the discipline in faith that is opposed to the chaos of the forces of evilmarks the official start of the El jump of the colacho.
This is the culminating moment of the partywhich always features the devils and all new born in the previous year. The children are in fact placed on soft mattresses along the streets of the town: the colacho, that is the devil jumps them one after the other Crossing a crowd of parents, tourists and simple curious.
According to tradition, the gesture represents the purificationthe liberation From original sin and protection against malignant spirits, diseases and other disasters, such as a sort of popular second baptism that integrates Catholic spirituality with older rites of pre-Christian origin.
The disputes
In recent years the festival has attracted the attention of the media, certainly for its originality, but also for the different criticisms moved by private individuals, associations and from the same Catholic Church Regarding the obvious risk inherent in jumping over very young boys and girls, if not even babies. However (and fortunately), until today, no accidents of any kind have never been recorded.
Other criticisms, mainly made by the Holy See, are instead of a more spiritual nature: the Church, in fact, recognizes the baptismo Like the only ritual that allows entry into the Christian community by purifying the faithful from original sin; However, although having never officially approved the ritual, it tolerates it as part of the heritage cultural localas Corpus Domini remains the spiritual heart of the entire celebration.
