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Although it is called a dance it is really an “entremés” (“Entremesos” have no direct translation into English they consist of giants, mulasses, dragons, etc. in the parades rather than dances). The Ball de Diables has its roots in early religious performances that staged the war between good and evil, represented by angels and devils and also in the Ball de Sant Antoni, a spoken dance in which the devils symbolised the temptations of the Saint.
Originally the dance contained dialogues and arguments between the Devils and the Archangel Saint Michael, who finally won them. The dialogues were different according to the version of the dance. These days the dialogues have been replaced with the recitation of topical satirical poems related to the city, the council or the people of the group.
In Vilanova i la Geltrú Devils have been known since 1710 when there is a reference to five devils that used to appear with the Mulassa, and later with the Drac during the Carnival celebrations. From 1832 up to the present the Diables have been appearing on their own. In 1947, after a break forced by the Civil War, a group of young people decided to revive “the dance”. For the revival the news costumes, made of heavy cotton to protect the devils from the fireworks that they carry and dance underneath, were decorated by the local artist E.C Ricard. From that time it has been a tradition of letting a local artist paint the costumes.
The Ball de Diables Petits was born in the summer of 1981, to allow children to participate in the Ball de Diables in the Festa and to assure the continuity of the tradition. Salvador Massana Saburit painted the first costumes and in 1994 Francesca Calaf painted a new ones. Los actuales fueron creados el año 2005 por Martí Valero.
There are about 20 young boys, aged from 7 to 14, who play the different characters of this dance, Lucifer, devils, devil woman, the angel (who is played by a small boy) and “timbalers” (drummers) who provide a wonderful sinister beat throughout the performance.
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Ball de Diables Petits
