I’m so happy today, Thursday December 6th 2012, because the Dancing Devils of Yare (Diablos Danzantes de Yare) have been included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.

This is the 1st cultural activity named by the UNESCO as a Heritage. However, we have also 3 areas named as World Heritage by UNESCO, as Canaima National Park (where the highest fall is located, Angel Falls), Coro and its Port (in Falcon State) and Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas (a university in Caracas, locally known as ‘La Central’).

Dancing Devils of Yare, is a religion festivity and dance in Miranda State, a special way to celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi. AT29, actually visited San Francisco de Yare, a small town, where we learned how to make those colorful – sometime scary – masks.

Its origins are traced back to the 18th century. The tradition is about the triumph of good over evil. They dance until they reach the entrance of the church and stay outside. Once the mass ends, the Eucharist is placed at the entrance and a representation of a -sort of- fight begins between the devils and the guardians. Naturally, the evil loses and the good wins.

Get to know more about this tradition here. And you can watch our video here.