PRpod: Puerto Rico picture of the day

Discover Puerto Rico! Each day a different picture pertaining to the youth's tour of Puerto Rico is featured, along with a brief explanation and a few links for further investigation.

July 16, 2025

What are vejigantes?

As part of the Catholic Feast of St. James the Apostle, which is celebrated on July 25th, people dress up as devils and parade through the cities of Loiza and Ponce, scaring people.
The devils are called Vejigantes (pronounced "veh-hee-GAN-tays)," because they initially carried sticks with cow bladders, vejigas, on them and poked people as part of their effort to frighten sinners into going to church! (Over time, the performers have become playful and mischievous characters who interact with crowds and the cow bladders have been replaced by balloons and plastic models.)
The masks have become one of Puerto Rico's most distinguished forms of artistic expression. (Additional examples of masks)

Tomorrow's picture: Where is Loiza?