Cuenca’s Day of the Innocents celebration gets rained on but the craziness marches on

A light rain dampened Cuenca’s Day of the innocents celebration Tuesday night but it couldn’t stop the annual strange behavior of thousands of participants and another 20,000 spectators. The event is staged at the head of Ave. Solano, just across the Rio Tomebamba from the hisotric district. 

The festival is a commenoration of the King Herod’s death sentence ordered for all Israeli new-borns after the birth of Christ, although the actual events seem to have almost no religious relevance. Cuenca’s celebration, the largest in the country, includes an army of boys and young men parading in women’s clothes, women decked out as devils, floats designed on satirical themes and a bizarre variety of skits.

The festival, sponsored by Cuenca’s Friendship Club, is highlighted by a competiton among floats and acts, the winners being announced today.

Photo caption: Day of the Innocents participants get ready to party