CAUCAGUA, Venezuela (AP) — Hundreds of people in northern Venezuela took to the streets for the annual Bandos and Parrandas of the Holy Innocents of Caucagua, a celebration rooted in Afro-descendant cacao-growing communities.
Marked on Dec. 28 alongside the Catholic Feast of the Holy Innocents, the festivity dates back more than 200 years, when enslaved people were given the day off and turned it into a moment of satire and resistance. Today, participants preserve that rebellious spirit by wearing costumes inspired by plantation owners and using humor, riddles and parody to poke fun at authority.
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Revelers take part in the Afro-Venezuelan Holy Innocents’ Day celebration in Caucagua, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Revelers take part in the Afro-Venezuelan Holy Innocents’ Day celebration in Caucagua, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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Revelers take part in the Afro-Venezuelan Holy Innocents’ Day celebration in Caucagua, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Revelers take part in the Afro-Venezuelan Holy Innocents’ Day celebration in Caucagua, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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Revelers take part in the Afro-Venezuelan Holy Innocents’ Day celebration in Caucagua, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Revelers take part in the Afro-Venezuelan Holy Innocents’ Day celebration in Caucagua, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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Revelers prepare to take part in the Afro-Venezuelan Holy Innocents’ Day celebration in Caucagua, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Revelers prepare to take part in the Afro-Venezuelan Holy Innocents’ Day celebration in Caucagua, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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Revelers take part in the Afro-Venezuelan Holy Innocents’ Day celebration in Caucagua, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Revelers take part in the Afro-Venezuelan Holy Innocents’ Day celebration in Caucagua, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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Revelers take part in the Afro-Venezuelan Holy Innocents’ Day celebration in Caucagua, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Revelers take part in the Afro-Venezuelan Holy Innocents’ Day celebration in Caucagua, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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Revelers take part in the Afro-Venezuelan Holy Innocents’ Day celebration in Caucagua, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Revelers take part in the Afro-Venezuelan Holy Innocents’ Day celebration in Caucagua, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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Revelers take part in the Afro-Venezuelan Holy Innocents’ Day celebration in Caucagua, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Revelers take part in the Afro-Venezuelan Holy Innocents’ Day celebration in Caucagua, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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