What the devil? Spaniards clang bells in religious festival
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ALMONACID DEL MARQUESADO—For two days in a tiny Spanish village, the devil ceases to be enemy No. 1 for a few devout Catholics.
Since medieval times, the 400 residents of Almonacid del Marquesado have celebrated the Endiablada (Brotherhood of the Devils) festival each Feb. 2-3.
Members of the town's all-male religious brotherhood dress up in what they consider devil-type characters, donning colorful jumpsuits and red miter hats. Almost every male in the village, from boys up to the elderly, then take part in processions through the twisting village streets.
They each carry heavy copper cowbells around their waist, which they clang incessantly, and some run and jump to make as much noise as possible. Each man in the brotherhood also has his own wooden staff that they have inherited or carved, some of which include images of a devil.
