Píllaro, Ecuador - 'Devil invade this picturesque highlands just before the New Year and take over the streets for eight days, donning scary masks dancing to the rhythms of local bands.
Annual festival Diablada 'Ecuador fills 12 blocks in this city 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of Quito and ends on Three Kings Day, the Catholic festival celebrated on January 6
Many soaked liquor is consumed and local cuisine when street vendors benefit from the influx of thousands of tourists to sell paintings of the Virgin Mary.
Festivals "Diablada 'are held in several Andean countries. They mix with the pre-colonial Catholic traditions, the celebration of the clash of good and evil.
A popular explanation for Pillaro version is that it started as a way for men to woo women anonymously.
The masks that participants endorse generally include huge horns, pointy ears and evil smiles. Costumes extend to black cloaks and long tails.
