Field Trip to Rey Curré. “El juego de los diablitos”

The Spanish Language School SEPA, is known for its Spanish classes and for offering its students the best cultural inmersion. The class is divide into grammar, games and field trips. As part of their program, our MHCC students  enjoyed this adventure. On Friday, January 26, students immersed themselves into cultural knowledge.  Thus, they  learned about the indigenous regions of Costa Rica and their struggle to get ahead.

In Rey Curré is celebrated the famous “Juego de los diablitos”. This year will be from January 25th to 28th.  Rey Curré is located 228 kilometers southeast of San José, in the canton of Buenos Aires of Puntarenas. This town has as its neighbor the Grande de Térraba river, and is currently easily accessible by the South Interamerican highway. Its territorial extension is 10,620 hectares and the population is close to 1,200 people, distributed in nine hamlets.

Cultural Inmersion

Once a year, a group of energetic little devils don their balsa wood masks and their gangoche attire and banana leaves to wage a three-day battle against their fierce enemy: the bull.

“El juego de los diablitos” is an ancestral tradition of the Boruca indigenous people, that their descendants still celebrate to rescue their roots.

This celebration recalls the struggle of the Borucas, symbolized by the diablitos, to defend their territory from the Spanish invaders, represented by the bull.

How is it celebrated?

The official celebration begins at midnight on Thursday 26th, with the ceremony of the birth. “The greater devil with his little devils ascend to a hill near the community and there, at that time, he blows the snail. The other devils come together with sounds of drums, flutes, accordion, shouts and chants. That is the birth of the little devils “.

The next day, Friday, the little devils eat their breakfast and, at 8:30 a.m, begin their journey through the community to face the bull.

The battles are carried out at various points, such as homes and public spaces, both in the morning and in the afternoon.

This routine is repeated on Saturday and Sunday. And, the last day, at about 4 p. m., occurs the “tumbazón”, one of the most important phases of the game.

This is the moment in which the bull “tombs” the devils in what, in appearance, is the triumph of the conqueror.

“However, something magical happens: suddenly, the greater devil rejoins and again his snail sounds that awakens the devils. Together they chase the bull, trap him, tie him and drag him to the foot of a tree where they burn him. ”

Finally, the death of the bull is celebrated by the whole community. “They symbolically cut him off, burn him and mock his remains,” the spokesman added.

Throughout the tour there will be traditional dishes, prepared by people from the community.  Tamales and the inevitable chicha, a beverage based on corn ferment are one of the favorites. These activities attract a lot of attention from visitors because it offers them a cultural inmersion .

Find more pictures of this trip in the following link: https://www.facebook.com/SEPASchool/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

References: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juego_de_los_diablitos_de_Boruca