The vejigantes are clown-like characters that can be seen during Carnival time in Puerto Rico. During the festivities of St. James the Apostle (Patron Saint of the city of Loiza), the vejigantes go to the streets to scare people. They usually wear large bright-colored overalls with very large sleeves, which look like bat wings.

They also wear masks made of coconuts. They are cut in a 45-degree angle, the fruit inside is taken out and in the outside part, a grotesque face is carved out, usually painted with very bright colors. The teeth are made from bamboo and the horns are made from banana bunch stems. The vejigantes are also seen in Ponce’s Carnival, but their masks are made of papier mache and usually contain many horns

The vejigantes originated in the 12^th century, when St. James the apostle (Santiago Apóstol, in Spanish) supposedly led the Catholic militia to win a battle over the infidel Moors. The vejigantes represent exactly the defeated Moors because most of Loiza’s inhabitants come from Africa and their forefathers were brought to Puerto Rico during the Spanish conquest as slaves. They didn’t have religious freedom and the Spanish people converted them to Christianity. The vejigantes are a form of keeping their religion mixed with Christianity because they represent the Moors who were not Christians.

Here are two videos, the first one shows how a vejigante mask is made, from coconuts.

Our next video shows a little bit of Ponce’s carnival and the vejigantes. Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXhWxnWHBio&NR=1

Nos vemos prontito.