The ''ball de diables'' (; Catalan for "Devils' dance") is a dance

tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

originating from

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...

, though it is also observed in the

Valencian Community The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wi ...

and the Balearic Islands. Over the course of centuries, the ''balls de diables'' have evolved into the modern day '' correfocs'' (''fire runs''). Participation in the form of

passacaglia The passacaglia (; ) is a musical form that originated in early seventeenth-century Spain and is still used today by composers. It is usually of a serious character and is often based on a bass- ostinato and written in triple metre. Origin The t ...

(processions) and ''correfocs'' is an essential part of celebrations in many towns and cities.

History

The origin of the ''ball de diables'' is uncertain, but they are believed to have come from medieval street theater, passed down through the oral tradition, evolving in the process. Though the ''ball de diables'' is popularly known as a dance, it is more appropriately an

entremés Entremés, is a short, comic theatrical performance of one act, usually played during the interlude of a performance of a long dramatic work, in the 16th and 17th centuries in Spain. Later it became the sainete. Dictionary of the Literature of the ...

since the performance was presented in between the entrees of the

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. The theme of ''ball de diables'' is a theatrical representation of the struggle between the

good In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil and is of interest in the study of ethics, morality, ph ...

and the

evil Evil, in a general sense, is defined as the opposite or absence of good. It can be an extremely broad concept, although in everyday usage it is often more narrowly used to talk about profound wickedness and against common good. It is general ...

. In its scenic context, it has been used mainly for Corpus Christi festivities, in ecclesiastic

procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

s as accompaniment to provide a more ceremonious and spectacular aspect. The demons used to lead a procession to announce its arrival make a racket. They used loud noise they used to clear a path through the public for the procession. Correfoc2

The figure of the devil or little devil is in all the spoken dances. It has no relationship with the play represented, but makes the audience laugh with its stunts. At the end of the play satiric verses are recited that are related to the

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

or public life of the local area and that everyone awaits with delight. This could have been the origin of the ''ball de diables''. Starting from a character that each time was taking more prominence and exceeding the importance of the original play, and as a result the devil part became the most popular one. The first written account of a ''ball de diables'', according to Joan Amades, was in 1150. The act was represented at the banquet of the wedding of the Barcelona count, Ramon Berenguer IV with the princess Petronilla, daughter of the king of Aragon and

. The chronicle tells us that it represented the struggle of some demons, commanded by

Lucifer Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passa ...

, against the Archangel Saint Michael and a squad of

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...

s. The second written reference, quoted in the book of solemnities of Barcelona, is about the festivities of 1423 commemorating the arrival to

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

of King Alfonso V of Aragon from

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. Also in

Cervera Cervera () is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Segarra, in the province of Lleida, Autonomous Community of Catalonia, Spain. The title Comte de Cervera is a courtesy title, formerly part of the Crown of Aragon, that has been revived for Leonor ...

, the devils participate for the festivities of Corpus Christi in 1426. In Barcelona, on the occasion of the arrival of the

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

of Calabria in September 1467, parties were organized and devils were present. In the beginnings of the 15th century, the processions of Corpus Christi in Barcelona were closed with a short play, formed by one squad of angels and another of devils.

References

{{Culture of Valencian Community Catalan folklore