Spanish village to expel evil spirits by "jump over the children," festival

قرية إسبانية تطرد الأرواح الشريرة بمهرجان “القفز فوق الأطفال”

أقامت قرية “كاستريللو دي مورسيا” الإسبانية احتفالها السنوي “مهرجان القفز فوق الأطفال” لطرد الأرواح الشريرة. وعن مراسم الاحتفال، يرتدي شخص زيًا باللونين الأحمر، والأصفر يمثل الشيطان؛ ليقفز فوق المواليد الجدد وسط الشارع.

وتحتفل هذه القرية بهذا المهرجان كتقليد سنوي منذ العام 1620.

 وتُنثر الحلويات والزهور فوق المواليد، قبل أن يتم وضعهم على فرشات النوم، حيث يقفز الرجل الذي يمثل الشيطان فوقهم.

ويهتم سكان القرية بهذا التقليد السنوي؛ لاعتقادهم بأن هذا الحركة ستطرد الأرواح الشريرة من المواليد، وتطهرهم من الآثام؛ حتى يتم تطهير القرية بأكملها.

 لا يزال مهرجان القفز فوق الأطفال من المهرجانات المثيرة للجدل فيما يتعلق بتوفير احتياطات السلامة والأمان، على الرغم من الأطفال لا يصابوا بأذى أثناء تأدية القفزات.

مهرجان قفز الشياطين فوق الأطفال في اسبانيا لـ"تطهير الأطفال الرضع من الذنوب"

Baby Jumping Festival

You would be forgiven for being curious about the title of this festival because even though Spain boasts some of the most unusual and bizarre festivals compared to the rest of the world, throwing tomatoes over each other as they do in Valencia or being chased down the street by a herd of bulls in Pamplona does not come close to the excitement aroused by the Baby Jumping Festival held each year in Castillo de Murcia near Burgos.

Anyone who has a newborn addition to their family can bring their baby along to this festival known as the El Colacho which has taken place on an annual basis since way back in the 1620’s. The festival itself is part of the celebrations held all over Spain for the Catholic festival of Corpus Christi and whilst at this particular time many other cities and towns have spectacular processions and a variety of other popular means of revelling and enjoying themselves, there is only one Baby Jumping Festival.

The babies are laid on the ground in swaddling clothes and grown men, yes adult males, dressed as devils jump over the infants and this is supposed to cleanse them of all evil doings. The question of who is protecting the babies from the example being set by the adults begs to be asked but who are we to doubt this traditional combination of religion and Spanish folklore which proves to be great fun, if not a little scary, to watch.

Anyone who is not blessed with receiving this protection during their early childhood and has lived life looking over their shoulder waiting for bad things to happen or illness to strike can, in their adulthood, choose to take part in an exercise of jumping through fire on 21st December in Granada, known as the Hogueras.

This is intended to protect them from illness.

The festival takes place on the first Sunday after Corpus Christi so its date will vary accordingly.