The festival is a twist on the Catholic celebration of the Feast of the Innocents, the massacre of children around the birth of Jesus on Herod's order.
MALAY, Philippines – It’s not a zombie or terrorist attack. It’s not Halloween. Those devils swarming over buses and trikes are the highlight of the Yawa-Yawa festival of Malay town, in Aklan province.
The festival is a twist on the Catholic celebration of the Feast of the Innocents, the massacre of children around the birth of Jesus on orders by Herod. The Jewish king puppet to the Romans feared the prophesy of a new king. The six-month closure of Boracay for environmental rehabilitation in November 2018 put a damper on the festival in 2019. Festivities were also cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year is the first time since 2018 for residents to spontaneously take to the streets with their personal takes on the devil.