6/10/2002: the jump of the Colacho
 

http://cellar.org/2002/colacho.jpg

Yep, it's another MSNBC image: Carlos Esteban Estebanez jumps over six babies June 2 during El Salto del Colacho, or "the Jump of the Colacho," in the Spanish village of Castrillo de Murcia. The Colacho represents a devil who takes evil away from the babies as he jumps over them. The traditional ceremony, celebrating the season of Corpus Christi, goes back to medieval times.

The question I have is: do they do it now just out of tradition, or do they still feel it has religious significance?

What happens if he jumps short and his heel plows through one of the kid's foreheads?

Or if he trips right before he gets there and tumbles in to all of those babies?

Or if his back foot is a little low to the ground and hooks one of them under the chin?

I think I'll skip this tradition. :)

I wouldn't worry about that, he's obviously a professional as the suit and the beat up shoes can attest.

The woman in the vibrant, many-colored shirt is probably the mother of one of those babies.

My old parish in St. Louis did a Corpus Christi procession every year...God, I hated that.

Heh heh. You'll be happy to find that I participated in one at the cathedral in Scranton this year. I read the General Intercessions in front of my largest crowd yet. I nailed it, didn't even fall down on the marble floor... I can see how it could be a disruption in a neighborhood though.

Or most of them ;)

When my family switched parishes in 1988, at my new parish, we went to Mass twice a week (7th and 8th grade went on Thurs., the whole school went on Friday). Well, it was our turn to prepare the Thurs. Mass, but my teacher forgot to have someone prepare the petitions, so I went up there and made them up off the top of my head. I mean, it's not that hard. :)

"For our Pope, John Paul, our Archbishop Justin (Rigali), and all other church leaders, let us pray to our Lord..."

...and then I just drew them out to 4 or 5 from there. :)

Corpus Christi though...ugh. We used to participate as part of our Scout troop. Three people in the neighborhood built altars/homages. And it was incredibly hot. And here we are, standing, kneeling, marching. One of the Knights of Columbus members passed out. And then I had to carry this heavy ass flag through the streets. I don't miss that.

For us Heathens:
 

What exactly is Corpus Christi and why do you celebrate it?

Re: For us Heathens:
 

Corpus Christi (Body of Christ) is a Catholic feast day that marks the institution of the Eucharist. It's a bit hard to explain, so I'll let the Catholic Encyclopedia do that.

Oh, and it is also a large city in south Texas, near the Gulf of Mexico. ;)

But see... How do you get from the body of Christ to hoppin' Colachos. (hmm sounds kinda tasty)
What older belief and ritual merged with Christianity to give us this behavior? That would be the interesting thing to know- like protecting babies with coral, protective eye charms or tiger hats.

Thats a really good question. In the States, as far as I know, we generally link Corpus Christi with First Holy Communion, so its not a baby event. I don't recall ever participating in the big ceremony before with the parading about with the monstrance etc... must be a big urban parish thing or maybe a pre-Vatican II deal thats making a comeback. The jumping may not even be that ancient, occuring in Spain, it could be a little Islamic cross-pollination, but I'm just speculating and Spain is quite a cultural crossroads.

Hmm. El Colacho is a masked diablo character and carries a horse tail whip and pesters those in the street through out the fiesta. He leaps the babies as he's chased symbolically by the Eucarista. Apparently the leap particularly protects the babies from hernias.

Yeah, I was thinkin' along the same lines: Gimma a Colacho Supreme with no onions, and a Coke.