With great excitement and expectation, I went to experience one of the most historic and unique traditional festivals held in Costa Rica: “The Dance of the Little Devils” (Diablitos), in the Boruca Indigenous Territory, located at the Southern Zone, approximately 28 km from Buenos Aires de Puntarenas. By car, from San José, it takes an average of 5 hours to get there.
It is a festival that is celebrated every year. At the end of 2024 and beginning of 2025, it was from December 31 to January 2 and commemorates the battle between the conquistadors (the bull) and the Boruca indigenous people (the little devils).
Since 2017, this activity is Intangible Cultural Heritage of Costa Rica, according to the Ministry of Culture. “This practice is one of the oldest indigenous ceremonies in Costa Rica,” the state entity highlights.
The masks and the bull
During the festivities, the devils use the traditional Boruca masks, with their very colorful and original designs. Snakes, jaguars, birds and skulls are some of the designs that can be seen and that, every year, they try to perfect. More original designs are created, since many tourists buy them and take them out of the country, and they also have a higher price when they are “played”, that is, used during the dances.
The bull (Xaman in the Brunca language) is a wooden structure covered in gangoche, with a bull face and weighs approximately 40 kilos. It is taken in turns by several participants because of how heavy and tiring it is to handle it.
The devils and the bull go through the town, stopping at the houses and there they fight. The devils hit the bull and provoke it, while it attacks them violently. At that moment, other indigenous people are playing music. Their instruments are the flute, drum, horns and snails, making the atmosphere feel like a trance.
To this we must add that in the houses where they stop there is always Chicha, which is a drink made from fermented corn and which, according to them, is what provides them with the energy to last the three days of fighting. Tourists are also offered Chicha and, depending on the fermentation, some are a little sour and others sweeter, but in general it is a pleasant taste.
The closing
The day when more people gather, both tourists and diablitos, is January 2, which is the closing of the festivities. It is that day when the diablitos wear their best masks and there is no room for another soul in the town.
The dynamic is similar to the other days, but they gather in front of the Communal Hall and there the battle ends. At one point the bull defeats all the diablitos, in what is known as La Tumbazón. Moments later, the little devils come back to life and look for the bull to take it to another part of the town where the activities are concluded with the burning of the bull. All this, always with music and shouts in the background, as well as firecrackers and thunderclaps that sound everywhere.
Keeping the traditions alive
It is a tradition that celebrates the strength of the Boruca people and their struggle to keep their traditions alive. For all of us who were there, it is an experience like few that can be lived in Costa Rica.
