AWUTOK-THON, EL VEJIGANTE-LUCHADOR
A Hybrid Character Creation
Festivals and ceremonies known as Carnavals blend Catholic, African and Native American rituals and customs unique to the Americas. Carnavals are usually long parades with much fanfare and revelry. Much of it caused by larger than life characters based on archetypes unique to the origins of a particular cultural region. The Carnaval of Brazil and the Mardis Gras celebrations of New Orleans are prominent examples of this unique cultural combination of Ritual and Art.
Generally speaking, these carnivals celebrate the passage of the Seasons and the reaping of the annual Harvest. In the Caribbean, Carnavals have also become important expressions of local culture. In Puerto Rico the Carnaval developed into more of an expression of the Catholic faith than a ritual announcing Harvest time. In the towns of Loiza on the east coast, and Ponce on the west coast, there are annual celebrations that have given rise to various characters and variations of the Carnaval.
Generally speaking, these carnivals celebrate the passage of the Seasons and the reaping of the annual Harvest. In the Caribbean, Carnavals have also become important expressions of local culture. In Puerto Rico the Carnaval developed into more of an expression of the Catholic faith than a ritual announcing Harvest time. In the towns of Loiza on the east coast, and Ponce on the west coast, there are annual celebrations that have given rise to various characters and variations of the Carnaval.
A unique character of Puerto Rican Carnavals is the Vejigante. He is a Carnaval archetype, a trickster-demon and his purpose is to scare the people into attending the Catholic mass. Largely based on the African trickster God Eshu (also known as Elegba or Legba, a trickster god of the Yoruba people of Nigeria in West Africa) as well as other trickster archetypes throughout indigenous American traditions he can be seen parading through the crowds dressed in oversized colorful, clown-like outfits, often with cloth wings attached. There are usually many of them dancing through the parade of people playfully poking them with a dried cows bladder at the end of a stick.
Cows bladder in Spanish is Vejiga (the J is pronounced as an H), and so el Vejigante gets his name from this strange scepter. His mask is often made of gourds native to the island such as coconut, or squash. In more recent times the mask has been made from papier-mache. He is depicted as half-man, half-beast often with a snout or beak and several horns protruding from his head. This peculiar manifestation is due to the festival of St. James which was brought to the island by the colonial Spanish. This festival depicted the trickster as a demon that was meant to be more comical than frightening.
The Festival of St..James or Fiesta de Santiago Apostol in Puerto Rico is very different than the festivals in Spain. The festival originally celebrated the expulsion of the Moors by the Templar Knights whose symbolic representation is St. James the Apostle of the Catholic faith.. In Spain it is a celebration of La Reconquista or the reclaiming of Spain from the Islamic Empire in the 15th Century. It is the Moors that are represented by the Vejigantes In the carnavals. But in Puerto Rico they have evolved into something different. El Vejigante has more in common with the trickster Gods of African and Indigenous Taino cultures that developed the festival throughout the caribbean. After the Spanish left they re-envigorated the archetype, re-envisioning el Vejigante as a symbol for Perseverence and Celebration.
Cows bladder in Spanish is Vejiga (the J is pronounced as an H), and so el Vejigante gets his name from this strange scepter. His mask is often made of gourds native to the island such as coconut, or squash. In more recent times the mask has been made from papier-mache. He is depicted as half-man, half-beast often with a snout or beak and several horns protruding from his head. This peculiar manifestation is due to the festival of St. James which was brought to the island by the colonial Spanish. This festival depicted the trickster as a demon that was meant to be more comical than frightening.
The Festival of St..James or Fiesta de Santiago Apostol in Puerto Rico is very different than the festivals in Spain. The festival originally celebrated the expulsion of the Moors by the Templar Knights whose symbolic representation is St. James the Apostle of the Catholic faith.. In Spain it is a celebration of La Reconquista or the reclaiming of Spain from the Islamic Empire in the 15th Century. It is the Moors that are represented by the Vejigantes In the carnavals. But in Puerto Rico they have evolved into something different. El Vejigante has more in common with the trickster Gods of African and Indigenous Taino cultures that developed the festival throughout the caribbean. After the Spanish left they re-envigorated the archetype, re-envisioning el Vejigante as a symbol for Perseverence and Celebration.
In modern Mexico there is a tradition that blends sports and theatrics to create entertainment that was very popular in the 1960?s and early 70?s. Professional wrestlers with names such as Santo, Blue Demon, and Mil Mascaras became famous icons through international sports events and independently produced films. In these fantasy films they were often pitted against Hollywood monsters such as Frankenstein, Dracula, werewolves. aliens, and zombies.
From these two Hispanic cultural icons I have created Awutok-Thon, El Vejigante-Luchador (The Vejigante-Fighter). He is a symbolic character reflecting the hybrid nature of Puerto Rican culture and its most contemporary influences. There is an element of comic fantasy and irony that I want to convey with this character. I have fashioned him as a freedom fighter, and anti-hero. He is a trickster, demon, and a champion, yet he is also a clown.
I created the mask out of fabric and vinyl in the pattern of Wrestler masks. This was meant to evoke the heroic aspects of the character and at the same time emphasize the comical by implying the absurdity of using a wrestling mask with large horns. El Vejigante-Luchador is also an alter ego, if you will, allowing me to voice concerns I would otherwise leave unsaid.
I created the mask out of fabric and vinyl in the pattern of Wrestler masks. This was meant to evoke the heroic aspects of the character and at the same time emphasize the comical by implying the absurdity of using a wrestling mask with large horns. El Vejigante-Luchador is also an alter ego, if you will, allowing me to voice concerns I would otherwise leave unsaid.
Click on my Mock Music Videos page to see Awutok-Thon in action or buy the latest issue in my comic-book series, Mythography: The Transfiguration of Awutok-Thon, El Vejigante-Luchador at Indyplanet by clicking here MYTHOGRAPHY COMICS