Baby-Jumping Festival Cleanses Babies of Sin
[There was a video here]
On Sunday, people in northern Spain performed El Salto del Colacho, or "the Devil's Jump," a tradition in which men dress as yellow "colachos" and jump over local babies in the street.
The ritual is said to cleanse the babies of original sin, and dates to medieval times. Babies born since last year's Salto del Colacho are eligible. Their parents arrange them on mattresses, where they lie in wait of absolution by leap. [Click image to enlarge]
El Salto del Colacho occurs on the day of the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi, usually amid "colorful processions of dancer dressed as demons and angels." [Click image to enlarge]
Some towns host religious pageants, dances, and other Colacho-themed rituals, too. The photos show this year's Salto del Colacho in Burgos, the historic capital of Castile. [Click image to enlarge]
The video depicts Burgos' 2009 devil jump. [Click image to enlarge]
