Each December, the streets of Caucagua in northern Venezuela fill with colour and laughter for the Bandos and Parrandas of the Holy Innocents.
The tradition dates back more than two centuries. Once a rare day of freedom for enslaved people, it became an act of resistance wrapped in humour.
Today, locals keep that spirit alive by dressing as plantation owners, swapping riddles and parodies that mock power with wit rather than anger.
Families and visitors join in, drawn by the joy of remembering how creativity can outlast oppression.
