Well isn’t this the cutest, most frightening vejigantes you’ve ever seen? And no, that’s not a midget. It’s a
child. In Ponce, Puerto Rico carnaval is an affair for the entire family
and no one dresses like the revelers you’d find in Rio or Trinidad’s carnival. For the most part the event is put on by
locals for locals. Should you decide to attend that’s all the merrier, but do some research. Don’t let the warm
tropical sun fool you into thinking it’s okay to strip down to your under garments or that near nudity will be
tolerated because it’s carnaval. Miami Herald
has an excellent detailed story on one of the world’s lesser known and explored Caribbean fetes. I learned several
things from the piece, the first being its existence and the second of the cow-bladder spanking vejigantes. The job of
a vejigantes is a simple one, to stir up merrymaking before Lent begins. The cow-bladders they carry are bought from
local slaughterhouses, dried out, blown up and painted to match their capes. Now, that’s quite an accessory.