El Colacho dates to 1620, born in the town of Castrillo de Murcia in northern Spain that the festival still calls home. Known locally as “El Colacho” but internationally as “the baby jumping festival,” this Spanish ritual involves men dressed as the devil in red and yellow jumpsuits paired with modern running shoes, jumping over babies born in the previous twelve months. The ritual of jumping over babies was thought to bless the newborn children and remove original sin, preparing them for a life on God’s true path. 

The absorption of evil by a vessel (in this case the devil’s body) is a common theme in other festivals like Japan’s Hadaka Matsuri. However, prominent church officials, including the pope, don’t approve of the ritual, insisting that baptism with holy water is the only way to achieve purification in the eyes of God. Though Church officials have pressured Spanish priests to discourage Catholics from taking part in El Colacho, the festival is still a vibrant tradition replete with musical processions through the village with El Colacho chasing the young and old, and teenagers in lederhosen dancing an Irish jig.

Yes, it’s all a little surreal.

All images by Nick Gammon