I just heard that 61% of the People on Puerto Rico voted for statehood Tuesday. This isn't about to happen anytime soon. Can you imagine the Republicans wanting that many more Latino voters influencing our Presidential elections?
Today was a down day as we had so little sleep last night due to the election. We pretty much just rested and went swimming.
Yesterday when we were in Ponce, I bought a tradional folk-art mask used at Carnaval Poncena.
One of the traditions is the appearance of the vejigantes, figures wearing a colorful costume with a mask of horns. This represents the devil, or evil, and the purpose was to drive sinners to repent. This is straight from a blend of folklore from African, Spanish, and Caribbean cultures.
Vejigantes used to carry cow bladders which they used to make sounds and hit people. Now they use plastic bottles and balloons.
Vejigante masks are made of paper mache and usually have many horns. They are brightly colored, mostly red, black and yellow, with a multiple of dots. The most famous of these are made by the family of Miguel Caraballo, who has perfected this folk art for 55 years, using mostly a theme of marine fauna with horns. I was lucky enough to buy one made by his grandson, Elvin, after he studied with Miguel. The salesman told me that the quality of Elvin's work was even better than Miguel's.
Carnavel Poncena ends with the Burial of the Sardine, where a coffin and dummy are set on fire. At this point, everyone sings a song that translates to:
The Carnival is dead now
They are burying him
Throw just a little dirt in
So he can rise again.
This ceremony symbolizes the burning away of the sins of the flesh.
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