Pecados y Danzantes of Camuñas
The Pecados y Danzantes turn Corpus Christi in Camuñas, Toledo, into an open-air mimed mystery play. Masks, rods, gunpowder, drum, rattles and dance portray the struggle between evil and the virtues, ending in the triumph of Grace over Sin.
Celebration date
The festival is centred on Corpus Christi Thursday, whose date varies between May and June. Wednesday brings the vísperas; Thursday holds the central Mass, charges, dance and procession; Friday features rites such as the Tiznaos and the Horca; and the Octave Sunday brings the sequence to a close.
Venue
The principal events begin at the parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. Plaza Ramón y Cajal, also known as Plaza del Reloj, hosts the charges and the Danza de Tejer el Cordón before the procession makes its way through the streets of Camuñas.
The Pecados y Danzantes Interpretation Centre in Plaza Vieja preserves clothing, masks, instruments and records that help explain the ceremony.
Origins and meaning
The Town Council places the adoption of the mystery-play form between the 16th and 17th centuries. Today's ritual is understood as “The triumph of Grace over Sin”: a symbolic confrontation between the Pecados, who surround the church and challenge the Blessed Sacrament, and the Danzantes, who embody virtues and good souls.
The performance uses no dialogue. Its language comes from costumes, masks, movements, howls, gunpowder and the rhythm of drum and rattles.
The Pecados
The Pecados wait outside the church during Mass and then charge at symbols of good. La Pecadilla represents sins of the flesh; Pecado Mayor, dressed in black and wearing a pig mask, represents the devil; and Correa, with a red serenero, evokes the sins of the world. Their charge ends with their fall before the monstrance.
The Danzantes and Grace
The Danzantes represent virtues and benevolent forces. Their characters include Cordel, Prudencia, Capitán, Alcalde, Tambor, Porra and Judío Mayor. Madama personifies Grace and guides the formation during the Danza de Tejer el Cordón, until the lines return to order and wave their white handkerchiefs together.
The procession and ritual days
After Mass, the charges and the dance, the procession moves through the town centre amid incense and gunpowder. The ritual does not end on Thursday: Friday's ceremonies and the Mass and procession on the Octave Sunday complete the traditional sequence.
Honours
The festival is a Spanish Festival of National Tourist Interest and an Asset of Cultural Interest in the Intangible Heritage category. The Interpretation Centre helps preserve and explain its objects, characters and memory.
Sources
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