Salamander & Lizard Devil Mask

Worn during Holy Week for the Devil’s dance, masks are used to hide the identity of a person and by its own features, enables them to masquerade as another being. The Devil’s dance was originally a ritual dedicated to Ruja, to ask him to free the Africans from their terrible working conditions. Nowadays the dance still begins summoned with respect and reverence although the concept of worshipping him was gradually diminished and been replaced by paying homage to the dead – which is why the dance is only preformed on November 1^st and 2^nd, the Catholic festival of All Saints Day. Originally the dancers went to houses that had altars in honor of their dead family members and friends. They would dance at each house and eat food offered there. When they has finished they went through the village streets, down the main street, until they reached the hub of the community, the tree in front of the town hall.