... the Vejigantes play many practical jokes. Ms. González remembers many, including throwing dust at a person, painting on a person, or throwing eggs. She tells me that “Vejigantes are people that make jokes ..."

The word “Vejigante” is often understood to come from two Spanish words: “vejiga,” which means the bladder of a cow, and “gigante,” or giant. Literally a bladder from the cow would be dried, and then put seeds inside of it so that it sounded like a maraca when shook. The Vejigante uses the vejiga as a part of their role, then, hitting people with the vejiga and making jokes. Often played by teenaged boys, the Vejigantes play many practical jokes. Ms. González remembers many, including throwing dust at a person, painting on a person, or throwing eggs. She tells me that “Vejigantes are people that make jokes—they are not seen as devils or bad. A Vejigante is like a little kid, a prankster. It isn’t someone that you can trust.”

The Vejigantes come out the last Sunday of carnival making jokes, but by the sunset another character or persona comes out—the death. It is like the other Vejigantes, but its costume and mask are all black. Ms. González assures me that this person is not bad, however. He is seen as a good figure because he is coming to bring discipline to the Vejigantes who are making the jokes that day: “You have to be quiet because the day is over, the party is over, and you need to go home. Vejigantes are afraid of this person and run away from it when it comes. This is the end of the carnival for another year.”

The Vejigante has become an important cultural symbol for many Puerto Ricans Making Connections: What symbol do you think best characterizes your country? Your culture? Why have you picked these symbols? Where do you see them most often? and now can also be seen at other festivals and celebrations that happen throughout the year. For example, Ms. González told me a story about when she was working at an artisans fair near San Juan, the capitol of Puerto Rico. As she sat with her children at the fair, they heard music coming their way. Soon they could see the group of twelve Vejigantes coming their direction accompanied by pleneras, a type of traditional musician from Puerto Rico (see Andrew’s profile for more information). Ms. González told me, “When I saw that, and my son and my daughter were telling me, ‘the Vejigantes are coming,’—the emotion, the colors, and the people, the happiness—you have to see it. That is our culture; that is the Caribbean culture. You have to live that, to have that experience. It’s amazing. And it was a sunny day. A sunny Puerto Rican day.”