1984.08

Elizabeth Fulcher

Gift

Gift of Mrs. Elizabeth Fulcher

1963

The Cucua folklore dancers make their devil dance costumes from cucua tree bark and deer horns. The devil dances have their origin in European masques. Especially after the plague, the macabre and the devil were themes for many celebrations. In the case of the devil dances in Panama, they all serve a religious purpose: the evangelization of the other. So they came to be a vivid image of the battle between good and evil that promoted conversion. Most of the devil dances are usually practiced for the religious feast of Corpus Christi, which celebrates the presence of Jesus in the host. These practices are colonial, but there are no dates that can specify as to when they started.