What is the purpose of a vejigante?
The vejigante is the person in costume who carries a vejiga (cow bladder) gigante (giant). The cow bladder is inflated and dried in the sun, then filled with seeds or beans and the vejiga is used by the vejigante as a “weapon” during the parades and celebrations, as they playfully bop people with the rattle.
What is the vejigante legend?
The vejigante is a folkloric figure who’s origins trace back to medieval Spain. The legend goes that the vejigante represented the infidel Moors who were defeated in a battle led by Saint James. To honor the saint, the people dressed as demons took to the street in an annual procession.
What was the vejigante mask used for?
Vejigante masks were used in processions to honor Saint James and later during Carnaval Ponceño, Ponce Carnaval for one week and ending the day before Ash Wednesday. Vejigante is from the words “vejiga” which means bladder and “gante” which means giant.
What three cultures are blended in the vejigante?
The Vejigante is a fantastic, colorful character introduced into carnival celebrations in Puerto Rico hundreds of years ago. He is a classic example of the blending of African, Spanish, and Caribbean influences in Puerto Rican culture. The name Vejigante comes from the Spanish word for bladder, vejiga.
What is a Puerto Rican vejigante?
The vejigante is a demon figure from medieval Spanish folklore that has become a staple of Puerto Rican Carnival culture. During Carnival festivals, the vejigante dress in a horned mask called a careta, and flowing costume to join the crowds in singing and dancing. The careta masks are a cultural symbol of Puerto Rico.
How do you pronounce vejigante?
vejigante
- beh. – hee. – gahn. – teh.
- be. – xi. – ɣan. – te.
- ve. – ji. – gan. – te.
What two events in Puerto Rico are these vejigante present at?
Two variations exist in Puerto Rico: the Vejigante of pre-Lenten Carnival in Ponce, on the south coast, with its paper-maché mask, and the Vejigante of the Fiestas of Santiago Apóstol (St.
What are Puerto Rican mask called?
The vejigante is a demon figure from medieval Spanish folklore that has become a staple of Puerto Rican Carnival culture. During Carnival festivals, the vejigante dress in a horned mask called a careta, and flowing costume to join the crowds in singing and dancing.
Who created the vejigante mask?
The vejigante masks made in Loiza are distinct from those made elsewhere in Puerto Rico, because they are made of coconuts, a tradition not observed elsewhere. Raul Ayala made his first mask when he was fifteen, and learned from his father, Don Castor Ayala, who began selling them to others in the community in 1940.
What are vejigante masks made of?
In Loíza, the vejigante masks are made from coconut, whose cortex has been carved out to allow a human face. The eyes and mouth are carved out of the coconut with an addition of bamboo teeth. The costume is made of “a jumper” that has a lot of extra fabric at the arms to simulate wings.
What are vejigante masks made from?
What is a vejigante?
A vejigante is a folkloric character in Puerto Rican festival celebrations, mainly seen during Carnival time. Traditional colors of the Vejigantes were green, yellow, and red or red and black.
What is the vejigante Festival in Puerto Rico?
Vejigante festivals are celebrated throughout the island of Puerto Rico, but no place has the pageantry and passion like they do in Ponce where the vejigante mask has been artfully created and worn in honor for more than 300 years. Today the Carnaval de Ponce is held in February and coincides with Lent, as do most carnavals around the world.
What is a vejigante mask made of?
In Loíza, the vejigante masks are made from coconut, whose cortex has been carved out to allow a human face. The eyes and mouth are carved out of the coconut with an addition of bamboo teeth. The costume is made of “a jumper” that has a lot of extra fabric at the arms to simulate wings.
What colors did the Vejigantes wear?
Traditional colors of the Vejigantes were green, yellow, and red or red and black. Today, Vejigantes wear brightly colored, ornate masks corresponding to the colors of their costumes that detail bat -like wings.