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Read more about carnivals and other aspects of Puerto Rican culture in
these books. Or visit our complete bibliography. |
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Shake it Morena! And other Folklore from Puerto Rico, Carmen T. Bernier-Grand,
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Salsa Stories, Lulu Delacre |
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Vejigante Masquerader,
Lulu Delacre |
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Festivals of the World: Puerto Rico,
Erin Foley |
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The Vejigante and the Folk Festivals of Puerto Rico,
Edwin Fontanez |
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The Song of the Coqui,
Nicholasa Mohr and Antonia Martorell |
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Children of the World: Puerto Rico,
Michael Elsohn Ross |
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Atariba and Niguayona: A Story from the Taino People of Puerto Rico (Tales of the Americas),
Harriet Rohmer, et al |
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People in Ponce, Puerto Rico, have been celebrating
Carnival for over 250 years! Each year the Carnival lasts the whole
month of February with parades, music, and special events. The Carnival
is a special celebration before the Christian season of Lent, the
six weeks before Easter. During the Carnival, people make elaborate
masks, dress up in costumes, dance, and play music.
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A Carnival mask from the Museum's collections. |
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The National Museum of American History
is fortunate to have many Carnival-related artifacts generously donated
by collector Teodoro Vidal.
Children's book author and illustrator Lulu Delacre tells the story
of the Ponce Carnival in her book Vejigante Masquerader. The
main character, Ramón, longs to masquerade as a vejigante
with his older brothers. The bilingual tale presents the reader with
a rich history of the Carnival tradition of Puerto Rico.
Take a few moments to explore the Try It! activities on this page
to learn more about the carnival traditions of Puerto Rico. You can
explore the history of the Ponce Carnival, participate in hands-on
activities such as creating a Carnival mask at home, and learn how
to become a collector!
Read more about Puerto Rico
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Make Your Own Carnival Mask
Here are simple directions you can use to make your own traditional Ponce Carnival mask.

download
PDF activity [92k] |
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Dress For the Ponce Carnival
Learn the tradition of the vejigante costumes, and color in your own vejigante masquerader with
traditional Ponce Carnival colors.

download
PDF activity [574k] |
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Become a Collector
What kind of things do you like to collect? Follow these tips for starting your own collection!

download
PDF activity [126k] |
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Read Vejigante Masquerader
Find out more about Vejigante Masquerader and author and illustrator Lulu Delacre.

download
PDF activity [79k] |
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