TheCarnaval de Ponce (English: Ponce Carnival), officiallyCarnaval Ponceño, is an annual celebration of theCarnival holiday held inPonce,Puerto Rico. The celebration lasts one week, and like most observations of the holiday ends on Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras Day, the day beforeAsh Wednesday). Thus, like the Carnival holiday in general, it is usually held in February and or March. It dates back to 1858.[9] Some authorities, such as theSmithsonian Institution, believe the Ponce Carnaval can be traced to as far back as 250 years ago.[10] The Carnaval coincides with theMardi Gras ofNew Orleans, theCarnival of Venice, andRio de Janeiro's Carnival and hundreds of other places that observe this holiday around the world. The estimated attendance is 100,000.[11] Scenes of the 2011 Carnaval Ponceño were featured in theTravel Channel on 7 August 2011.[12]
There are no documents stating theofficial origin of the Carnaval, but there are documents mentioning the celebration as early as 1858.[13][14][15] The Carnaval de Ponce thus began in 1858 and was started as amask dance by aSpaniard by the name of José de la Guardia.[16][17] Themasquerade dance continued as a tradition through the years, but it was not until the 1950s that the municipal government added the parade to the Carnaval.[18] In the early 1960s, the Carnaval began to integrate floats that represented civic and cultural institutions, public and private residential communities, schools, colleges and universities, banking, industry and commerce.[19] The Office of Cultural Development of the Municipality of Ponce explains that “it is believed that the influence of theNice Carnival extended toBarcelona and that immigrants from Barcelona brought it to Ponce. With the passing of timePoceans have added their own touches withAfro-Antillean music that fills the celebrations with percussion, rhythm and happiness."[20]
In June 1995, Carnaval de Ponce was taken to New York City where, during thePuerto Rican Day Parade, over 200 entertainers, folk artists and musicians from Ponce, in addition to theBanda Municipal de Ponce and the Carnival's Queen and Child Queen, marched down New York'sFifth Avenue as part of that City's Puerto Rican Day Celebration. During the week leading to the Parade, folk artists from the Carnaval de Ponce, toured the City teaching children to make the traditional Ponce carnival's masks.[21] In 2012, a local news weekly called Carnaval de Ponce "Puerto Rico's National Carnival".[22]
One of the traditions of the Carnaval is the appearance of the "vejigantes", which is a colorful costume traditionally representing thedevil or evil. Vejigantes carry blown cowbladders with which they make sounds and hit carnival attendees throughout the processions.
The traditional vejigante masks of the Ponce carnival are made of paper mache and are characterized by the presence of multiple horns. The mask was developed by Ponce artisans in the early part of the 20th century. They are made from newsprint paper mixed with homemade glue and paint. Sophisticated Ponce carnival masks are sought after by mask collectors and masks from Ponce have become a symbol of Puerto Rico at large.[23]
The Carnaval ends with the Burial of the Sardine, at which point everyone sings a song in Spanish that translates into:[24] The burial of the Sardine event started in 1967.[25] (The Ball Dance was also started in 1967.The burial of the Sardine event started in 1967.[26]
The Carnival is dead now They are burying him; Throw just a little dirt in So he can rise again.
The Carnaval starts on the Wednesday before Ash Wednesday, and the events are as follows.[28][29]
Wednesday: Vejigantes Party Thursday: King Momo Entrance Parade Friday: Crowning of the Child Queen Saturday: Crowning of the Carnival Adult Queen Sunday: Main Parade Monday: Carnival's Ball Dance Tuesday: Burial of the Sardine
In 1959, the Carnaval introduced the crowning of a Carnaval queen. This was followed, in 1973, with the crowning of a Carnaval child queen. The following are the Carnaval queens and child queens.[30]
^Mantienen viva la tradición carnavalesca. Reinaldo Millán La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 6 February 2013. Year 31. Issue 1523. Page 24. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
^Carmelo Rosario Natal.Ponce En Su Historia Moderna: 1945-2002. Published by Secretaría de Cultura y Turismo of the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 2003. p. 91.
^Antonio R. Gomez and Margarita Diaz.Unmasking the Ponce Carnival. Daily News. New York, New York. Puerto Rican Day Parade Special Supplement. 8 June 1995.
^Carmelo Rosario Natal.Ponce En Su Historia Moderna: 1945-2002. Published by Secretaría de Cultura y Turismo of the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 2003. p. 91.
^Carmelo Rosario Natal.Ponce En Su Historia Moderna: 1945-2002. Published by Secretaría de Cultura y Turismo of the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 2003. p. 91.
^Unless otherwise indicated, this information is taken fromCarnaval Ponceños 2012: Dedicado a los "Ponceños y Ponceñistas destacados en los Medios de Comunicación". Page 34. Municipio Autónomo de Ponce. Oficina de Desarrollo Cultural. February 2012.
^Carnaval Ponceño 2012: Dedicado a 'Los Ponceños y Ponceñistas destacados en los Medios de Comunicacion' (Municipio Autonomo de Ponce, 2012; CEE-SA-12-3910), page <no page number; not numbered>.
^Carnaval de Ponce, 2019. (carnaval brochure - "Edicion 161 del Carnaval Ponceño.") Municipio de Ponce. Oficina de Desarrollo Cultural. Ponce, Puerto Rico. "Reinas del Carnaval Ponceño." p. 14.
^Carnaval de Ponce, 2019. (carnaval brochure - "Edicion 161 del Carnaval Ponceño.") Municipio de Ponce. Oficina de Desarrollo Cultural. Ponce, Puerto Rico. "Reinas del Carnaval Ponceño." p. 14.
^Carnaval de Ponce, 2019. (carnaval brochure - "Edición 161 del Carnaval Ponceño.") Municipio de Ponce. Oficina de Desarrollo Cultural. Ponce, Puerto Rico. "S. M. Adlin Camille Mendez Vargas." p. 16.
^Isla Caribe. Facebook page dated 19 February 2020. Accessed 28 January 2024.
^Carnaval de Ponce regresa a los barrios. Esnoticiapr.com Ponce, Puerto Rico: Periódico Es Noticia. 25 February to 10 March 2022. Year 6. Issue 164. Accessed 25 February 2022. p.14.
^Carnaval Ponceño 2012: Dedicado a 'Los Ponceños y Ponceñistas destacados en los Medios de Comunicacion' (Municipio Autonomo de Ponce, 2012; CEE-SA-12-3910), page <no page number; not numbered>.
^Carnaval de Ponce, 2019. (carnaval brochure - "Edicion 161 del Carnaval Ponceño.") Municipio de Ponce. Oficina de Desarrollo Cultural. Ponce, Puerto Rico. "Reinas Infantiles del Carnaval Ponceño." p. 15.
^Carnaval de Ponce, 2019. (carnaval brochure - "Edicion 161 del Carnaval Ponceño.") Municipio de Ponce. Oficina de Desarrollo Cultural. Ponce, Puerto Rico. "Reinas Infantiles del Carnaval Ponceño." p. 15.
^Carnaval de Ponce, 2019. (carnaval brochure - "Edicion 161 del Carnaval Ponceño.") Municipio de Ponce. Oficina de Desarrollo Cultural. Ponce, Puerto Rico. "S. M. Gloriangely Velez Batista I." p. 18.
^Isla Caribe. Facebook page dated 19 February 2020. Accessed 28 January 2024.
^Carnaval de Ponce regresa a los barrios. Esnoticiapr.com Ponce, Puerto Rico: Periódico Es Noticia. 25 February to 10 March 2022. Year 6. Issue 164. Accessed 25 February 2022. p.14.
.jpg)
_-_WGA22379.jpg)
