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. Today, Vejigantes wear brightly colored, ornate masks corresponding to the colors of their

costumes Costume is the distinctive style of dress or cosmetic of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, profession, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch. In short costume is a cultural visual of the people. The term also was tradition ...

that detail

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...

-like

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...

s. The term vejigante derives from the words vejiga (bladder) and gigante (giant) due to custom of blowing up and painting cow bladders. The masks are often linked to festivals that continue today, especially in Loíza and Ponce.

Origin

Vejigante masks on display in San Juan, Puerto Rico

In the 12th century, St. James the Apostle, the patron saint of Spain, was believed to have led the Catholic militia in battle against the

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

. On his saints day, when people celebrated the victory, the vejigante represented the defeated Moors. By the 17th century, it was typical to see processionals in Spain in which vejigantes were demons meant to terrify people into going back to church. There is a reference to vejigantes in Cervantes' ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...

'' written in 1615. when they symbolized the Devil in the battle between good and evil. In Puerto Rico, this processional took on a new look because of the African and

Taíno The Taíno were a historic indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the pri ...

influence. Taínos were believed to be excellent mask makers. Vejigante masks are usually meant to look scary. Cabezas de vejigantes

Festivals of St. James

St. James saint day is celebrated in Puerto Rico with the use of the vejigantes. In today's festivals, some believe that the vejigante is a figure of resistance to colonialism and imperialism. The festivals have four main characters: el Caballero (the knight), los vejigantes, los viejos (the elders), and las locas (the crazy women). The festivals in Loiza and Ponce have their own characteristics.

In specific towns

Loíza

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.

Ponce

In Ponce, the vejigante masks are made from

papier-mâché upright=1.3, Mardi Gras papier-mâché masks, Haiti upright=1.3, Papier-mâché Catrinas, traditional figures for day of the dead celebrations in Mexico Papier-mâché (, ; , literally "chewed paper") is a composite material consisting of p ...

and usually contain many horns. There is a yearly celebration in Barrio Playa, Ponce, that lasts three days called Carnaval de Vejigantes.''Inicia el conteo regresivo para el Carnaval de Vejigantes: Este festejo palpita gracias al empeño de maestros artesanos de la careta carnavalesca de cartón piedra, al retumbe de comparsas de bomba y plena, a creadoras de comidas con aroma a salitre y un pueblo alegre que ensalza, desde sus costumbres hasta su humilde origen.''
Waldo Covas and Omar Alfonso. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 23 January 2019. Accessed 16 January 2020. The jump suit is very similar to the jumpers used in Loiza.

In popular culture

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

released a one-shot comic book called ''Fantastic Four in... Ataque del M.O.D.O.K.'' which debuted a Puerto Rican superhero called El Vejigante, based on the urban legend.

Gallery

Vejigante en el Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico.jpg, Vejigante in the Puerto Rican Museum of Art

References

{{reflist

External links

Puerto Rico Music- VejigantesArts and Crafts
Puerto Rican culture