Worshippers in El Salvador take part in Easter whipping tradition

Record ID: 2371602

  • Title: Worshippers in El Salvador take part in Easter whipping tradition
  • Date: 30th March 2026
  • Summary: TEXISTEPEQUE, SANTA ANA, EL SALVADOR (MARCH 30, 2026) (REUTERS) PEOPLE DRESSED AS "TALCIGUINES" - OR "DEVILS" LEAVING CHURCH PERSON DRESSED AS DEVIL WAVING WHIP VARIOUS OF PEOPLE DRESSED AS DEVILS WHIPPING PEOPLE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MAN DRESSED AS A "TALCIGUIN" - OR "DEVIL", BAIRON ALARCON, SAYING: "The tradition is more than 100 years old. I have been a talciguin for ap
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  • Keywords: Easter El Salvador Texistepeque devils religion whips
  • Location: TEXISTEPEQUE, SANTA ANA, EL SALVADOR
  • City: TEXISTEPEQUE, SANTA ANA, EL SALVADOR
  • Country: El Salvador
  • Topics: South America / Central America,Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA001872130032026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Easter week got underway in El Salvador on Monday (March 30) with a centuries-old ceremony in which men dressed as devils whip people in a ritual meant to symbolize the universal struggle between good and evil.
    The tradition takes place each year in the town of Texistepeque, located some 83 kilometres north of the capital San Salvador. Participants known as talciguines — a term meaning "demon man" — dress as devils and lash those who come forward seeking to repent for sins committed throughout the year. Many travel from surrounding regions across El Salvador to take part.
    The talciguines and a man disguised as Jesus first attend mass and offer their performances as a sacrifice. When mass ends, the whipping begins on the streets.
    The ceremony culminates with the man dressed as Jesus ringing a bell and walking over the bodies of the talcigüines, who lie face down on the ground — a symbolic representation of good triumphing over evil. The devils then rise and depart.
    The annual ceremony marks the beginning of Holy Week, when Catholics and Christians around the world commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
    (Production: Wilfredo Pineda, Dessire Carrion, Liamar Ramos)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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