Photos show Venezuelans celebrating Holy Innocents' Day

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.

The Associated Press
December 28, 2025 at 10:19PM

CAUCAGUA, Venezuela — 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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This gallery was curated by AP photo editors.

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MATIAS DELACROIX

The Associated Press

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