Okay folks, we really want to protect our precious babies from evil spirits, so what can we do? I know, let’s put the little tykes out on mattresses in small groups, dress up some 180-pound guy like the devil, and let him jump over the helpless little infants. That should chase away the evil, and ensure that our mental health professionals have a steady stream of clients for years to come.
According to our photo caption, this ritual in a Spanish town has been going on for centuries. Okay, today’s required reading is a classic short story called The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson.
A man jumps over babies placed on a mattress in Castrillo de Murcia during traditional Corpus Christi celebrations, June 10, 2007. This northern Spanish town has for centuries chosen to protect its young from evil spirits with an unusual ritual in which a man dressed as the devil leaps over mattresses holding babies. REUTERS/Felix Ordonez
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12 comments so far
Well, number one…he doesn’t look like the devil to me. Granted, not many people probably know what the devil looks like…but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t look like some sort of court jester with a duster in his hand.
Secondly, what’s with the green socks and white shoes? How lame!
If I had magical powers, I would go to that town and just as the dude jumped over the babies, I would make them disappear and reappear back in their homes. I bet that would freak everyone out.
- Posted by KThe new “Life Comes At You Fast” commercial starring Evel Kneivel?
- Posted by John C AbellI do not know the significance of this tradition but I also would not encourage the slighting of other people’s beliefs even if they seem unusual to myself. I am sure that we have many traditions that people outside of the US would find strange…
food for thought…
- Posted by JaneFinally, that recurring dream makes sense. Except, where’s the giant staple gun?
- Posted by Shawn HendricksI never would have pictured Satan in green. Thank you, people of Corpus Christi.
- Posted by Shawn HendricksIt’s
Monty Python’s Baby Circus
- Posted by Shawn HendricksYou gotta be kidding.
- Posted by Shawn HendricksSponsored by Depends.
- Posted by Shawn HendricksThe guy jumping over the babies didn’t reveal which one is the spawn of Satan. Maybe the steam roller
- Posted by Shawn HendricksI am sorry to say, but the slug of the blog does not match the standard of Reuters. Its an offending one, at least to the people of Castrillo de Murcia. The photographer has simply bought before us a tradition and culture of an area and we are in no position to comment negatively about it. Its just a piece of information.When the parents of the children don’t have any problem, why us. I am shocked to see that racism still prevails.
- Posted by Tawheed RehmanGet over yourselves people. We as humans were given a sense of humor for a reason. God loves funny look at the platypus. All jokes offend someone thats what makes part of the humor. I mean think how the horse felt when asked “why the long face”. He coul have been mad but he laughed at it cause he saw the humor.
- Posted by chemazaUm the Devil wears the same outfit as Ronald McDonald?
- Posted by Jinks