TITLE: Lechón Mask and Costume
TYPE: face mask; costume; accessory
GENERAL REGION: Caribbean
COUNTRY: Dominican Republic
SUBREGION: Santiago de los Caballeros
ETHNICITY: Afro-Latino
DESCRIPTION: Flores-type Lechón Carnival Mask and Costume with Whip
MAKER (Mask and Costume): José “Chevy” Luís Almanzar (Santo Domingo, 1981- )
MAKER (Whip): Fernando Mattheo (Cabral, unknown date of birth)
CEREMONY: Carnival; Dominican Independence Day
AGE: 2022
MAIN MATERIAL (Mask): paper maché
OTHER MATERIALS (Mask): yucca sap; colored paper; silicone adhesive; paint; clear spray enamel; foam rubber; elastic straps; metal snaps
COSTUME MATERIALS: synthetic fabric; stitching; silicone adhesive; metal zipper; Velcro®; plastic rhinestones; mirrors; synthetic fabric and rubber shoes; synthetic gloves
WHIP MATERIALS: wood handle; braided and dyed cayuga fiber

During the Carnival of the Dominican Republic, which actually falls on the Dominican Independence Day rather than the Catholic Mardi Gras, paraders don elaborate masks and costumes to represent devils, monsters, clowns, and other characters.  Different towns have different traditional masks.  In Santiago de los Caballeros, a very large parade involving hundreds of masked marchers takes place every year, prominently featuring characters known as the lechón, or “piglet.”  Notwithstanding their name, they nearly always look like a cross between a duck and a bull. The lechón comes in various forms. The traditional mask is the pepinera, with smooth horns or horns covered in spikes. Other masks include jolla masks, whose horns are covered in spikes; flores masks covered in flowers; and fantasía masks, which can take almost any form. This mask is a flores-type mask.

Lechones carry rope whips and inflated bladders on a rope (formerly goat bladders, but today mostly rubber) that they use to strike audience members, preferably young women, on the buttocks.  The ritual thereby serves the dual function of providing a release for young male testosterone and reminding the audience of the torments awaiting in Hell.

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TITLE: Lechón Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Caribbean
COUNTRY: Dominican Republic
SUBREGION: Santiago
ETHNICITY: Afro-Latino
DESCRIPTION: Pepinera-type Lechón Carnival Mask
MAKER: Manuel de Jesús Jiménez (Santiago, 1954- ) & Yovanny de Jesús Jiménez Santos (Santiago, 1979-)
CEREMONY: Carnival; Dominican Independence Day
AGE: 2023
MAIN MATERIAL: paper maché
OTHER MATERIALS: yucca sap; paint; clear spray enamel; foam rubber; elastic straps

During the Carnival of the Dominican Republic, which actually falls on the Dominican Independence Day rather than the Catholic Mardi Gras, paraders don elaborate masks and costumes to represent devils, monsters, clowns, and other characters.  Different towns have different traditional masks.  In Santiago de los Caballeros, a very large parade involving hundreds of masked marchers takes place every year, prominently featuring characters known as the lechón, or “piglet.”  Notwithstanding their name, they nearly always look like a cross between a duck and a bull. The lechón comes in various forms. The traditional mask is the pepinera, with smooth horns or horns covered in spikes. Other masks include jolla masks, whose horns are covered in spikes; flores masks covered in flowers; and fantasía masks, which can take almost any form. This mask is a pepinera-type mask.

Lechones carry rope whips and inflated bladders on a rope (formerly goat bladders, but today mostly rubber) that they use to strike audience members, preferably young women, on the buttocks.  The ritual thereby serves the dual function of providing a release for young male testosterone and reminding the audience of the torments awaiting in Hell.

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TITLE: Diablo Cojuelo Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Caribbean
COUNTRY: Dominican Republic
SUBREGION: Bonao
ETHNICITY: Afro-Latino
DESCRIPTION: Macarao for Pinguinos (Penguins) Group
MAKER: Henry Pasencia Acosta (Bonao, 1980- )
CEREMONY: Carnival; Dominican Independence Day
AGE: 2022
MAIN MATERIAL: paper maché
OTHER MATERIALS: yucca sap; paint; foam rubber; elastic straps

During the carnival of the Dominican Republic, which actually falls on the Dominican Independence Day rather than the Catholic Mardi Gras, paraders don elaborate masks and costumes to represent devils, monsters, clowns, and other characters.  Different towns have different traditional masks.  In Bonao, various demons known as macarao dance frantically across from groups of girls.  Macarao come in many forms, although all members of a group tend to where the same mask and costume.

This specific mask is used by the Pinguinos (Penguins) Group. It was worn in 2022 and 2023 Carnival celebrations by Kiosky Hierro Frías (Bonao, 2009- ).

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TITLE: Witch Fantasy Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Caribbean
COUNTRY: Dominican Republic
SUBREGION: Santiago de los Caballeros
ETHNICITY: Afro-Latino
DESCRIPTION: Witch Fantasy-Type Carnival Mask
MAKER: Manuel de Jesús Jiménez (Santiago, 1954- ) & Yovanny de Jesús Jiménez Santos (Santiago, 1979- )
CEREMONY: Carnival
AGE: 1995
MAIN MATERIAL: paper maché
OTHER MATERIALS: yucca sap; paint; polyester hat; plastic bats; stitching; foam rubber; elastic straps

During the Carnival of the Dominican Republic, which actually falls on the Dominican Independence Day rather than the Catholic Mardi Gras, paraders don elaborate masks and costumes to represent devils, monsters, clowns, and other characters.  Different towns have different traditional masks.  In Santiago de los Caballeros, a very large parade involving hundreds of masked marchers takes place every year, prominently featuring characters known as the lechón, or “piglet.”  Notwithstanding their name, they nearly always look like a cross between a duck and a bull. The lechón comes in various forms. The traditional mask is the pepinera, with smooth horns or horns covered in spikes. Other masks include jolla masks, whose horns are covered in spikes; flores masks covered in flowers; and fantasía masks, which can take almost any form. This mask is a fantasía mask.

Lechones carry rope whips and inflated bladders on a rope (formerly goat bladders, but today mostly rubber) that they use to strike audience members, preferably young women, on the buttocks.  The ritual thereby serves the dual function of providing a release for young male testosterone and reminding the audience of the torments awaiting in Hell.

This witch mask was worn by one of its makers, Manuel de Jesús Jiménez, in carnival parades of Santiago for 28 years, from 1995 until 2023.

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TITLE: Diablo Cojuelo Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Caribbean
COUNTRY: Dominican Republic
SUBREGION: La Vega
ETHNICITY: Afro-Latino
DESCRIPTION: Diablo Cojuelo Carnival Mask
MAKER: Ramón “Chanina” Stalin Salcero (La Vega, 1975- ); Edward Martes (La Vega, 1975- )
CEREMONY: Carnival; Dominican Independence Day
AGE: 2023
MAIN MATERIAL: paper maché
OTHER MATERIALS: yucca sap; paint; metal wire

During the carnival of the Dominican Republic, which actually falls on the Dominican Independence Day rather than the Catholic Mardi Gras, paraders don elaborate masks and costumes to represent devils, monsters, clowns, and other characters.  Different towns have different traditional masks.  In La Vega, a very large parade involving hundreds of masked marchers takes place every year, prominently featuring characters known as the diablo cojuelo, or “tormenting devil.”  These devils carry inflated bladders on a rope (formerly goat bladders, but today mostly rubber) that they use to strike audience members, preferably young women, on the buttocks.  The ritual thereby serves the dual function of providing a release for young male testosterone and reminding the audience of the torments awaiting in Hell.

Masks like this are made of paper maché on a mold, hardened with yucca sap, and allowed to dry before painting. The mold allows crews of paraders to wear similar masks as a group without the need sculpt each mask individually.  Even so, tremendous work goes into the molding, preparation, painting, and adornment of each mask. Frequently the costumes require months of hand-stitching as well.

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REGION: Caribbean
COUNTRY: Dominican Republic
YEAR PRINTED: 2012
VALUE: sheet of 10 x 20 peso stamps

In 2012, the Dominican Republic issued a set of five postage stamp sheets, each containing 10 stamps valued at 20 Dominican pesos and all celebrating the Dominican Carnival, which is timed to coincide with Dominican Independence Day. This sheet includes a wide variety of face painting styles of Carnival celebrants who march alongside masqueraders.

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REGION: Caribbean
COUNTRY: Dominican Republic
YEAR PRINTED: 2012
VALUE: sheet of 10 x 20 peso stamps

In 2012, the Dominican Republic issued a set of five postage stamp sheets, each containing 10 stamps valued at 20 Dominican pesos and all celebrating the Dominican Carnival, which is timed to coincide with Dominican Independence Day. This sheet includes a wide variety of masks from various towns in the Dominican Republic, including the famed diablos cojuelos of La Vega and lechones of Santiago, and various other traditional mask types from Cotui, Bonao, Montechristi, La Joya, La Romana, Salcedo, Río San Juan, and Santo Domingo.

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REGION: Caribbean
COUNTRY: Dominican Republic
YEAR PRINTED: 2012
VALUE: sheet of 10 x 20 peso stamps

In 2012, the Dominican Republic issued a set of five postage stamp sheets, each containing 10 stamps valued at 20 Dominican pesos and all celebrating the Dominican Carnival, which is timed to coincide with Dominican Independence Day. This sheet includes a wide variety of masks from various towns in the Dominican Republic, including the famed diablos cojuelos of La Vega and various other traditional mask types from Cotui, Navarrete, Puerto Plata, Samaná, Río san Juan, San Juan de la Maguana, San Pedro de Macoris, Villa Rivas, and Santo Domingo.

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REGION: Caribbean
COUNTRY: Dominican Republic
YEAR PRINTED: 2012
VALUE: sheet of 10 x 20 peso stamps

In 2012, the Dominican Republic issued a set of five postage stamp sheets, each containing 10 stamps valued at 20 Dominican pesos and all celebrating the Dominican Carnival, which is timed to coincide with Dominican Independence Day. This sheet includes a wide variety of face painting styles, as well as masks from the towns of Azua and Puerto Playa.

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REGION: Caribbean
COUNTRY: Dominican Republic
YEAR PRINTED: 2012
VALUE: sheet of 10 x 20 peso stamps

In 2012, the Dominican Republic issued a set of five postage stamp sheets, each containing 10 stamps valued at 20 Dominican pesos and all celebrating the Dominican Carnival, which is timed to coincide with Dominican Independence Day. This sheet includes a wide variety of masks from various towns in the Dominican Republic, including the famed diablos cojuelos of La Vega and Constanza, the lechones of Santiago and Barahona, and various other traditional mask types from Valverde, Elias Piña, Puerto Playa, Bonao, Cabral, and Santo Domingo.

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