The artisans work in the same way I learned about paper maché as a child...Strips of newspaper and a paste made from floor and water. Everything done in successive layers. Artisans I have watched use a special face form in order to make the face of each mask the same. Horns are fashioned from rolls of paper. When the entire mask is thick and smooth, it is allowed to dry and harden.
Then comes the fun part! Adding the colorful background colors and painting in the representative, multi-color dots.
These masks are sold as decorations, but their actual function is part of a beautiful costume, used in the Ponce Carnaval celebrations. Today, vejigantes are also part of the shows on Puerto Rican culture that are staged for visitors to the island.
The name Vejigantes (which is pronounced "vay-hee-GON-tays") comes from the Spanish vejiga (bladder). The traditional carnival vejigante carries with him, or her, two giant rattles made from blown up, dried pig's or sheep's bladder, which are used to frighten people. It's all part of the celebration!
The rest of the Vejigante's costume is a loose-fitting, clown-like suit, also brightly colored, with ruffles. It covers the back of the head, where the mask is usually secured with wide elastic bands, and the entire body, from neck to ankles.
To learn more about the festival aspect of the vejigante, you'll enjoy the book Fiesta en Puerto Rico.
To see all the vejigante masks we have, click here.
To see more about vejigante costumes we sell, click here.
To see the ways that the vejigante appears in the culture of Puerto Rico, click here.
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