The Costa Rican masquerade, a traditional festival that takes place on the same day as Halloween

( Spanish) – On October 31, more and more communities in Costa Rica celebrate National Masquerade Day in their streets, a holiday that has indigenous and colonial roots and that, in 1996, by executive decree, became an anniversary to recover and promote a tradition. typical of the Costa Rican identity. With the same purpose in 2022 it was declared a national symbol.

The devil, also called pisuicas in the Costa Rican folklore culture, the giantess, the witch, along with other characters from Costa Rican legends such as the Headless Father and La Llorona, parade dancing to the rhythm of the music and it is usual that in the middle of the party Go out and chase the participants to liven up the celebration.

According to Rodrigo Muñoz, cultural promoter and one of the main researchers of this tradition, the masks that are seen in Cartago, a province adjacent to the capital San José, are chosen from among around 700 that participate and around 15 cultural groups are integrated into the parade. . Each mask and its clothing alluding to the character is worn by some members of the participating groups. Muñoz added that they are unique crafts, part of the Costa Rican cultural heritage.

To make them and shape the face, clay or mud, paint, white glue, paper mache (a type of moistened paper pulp), putty and wire, among other materials, are used. Muñoz explains that the traditional technique begins by kneading the clay for four hours, sculpting the mold by hand and letting it rest for a week. Once dry, the paper mache begins to be glued in layers. He adds that there are about 100 mask makers in the country, which support at least 300 groups that use them. Muñoz highlights that, to strengthen the tradition, in the country’s educational centers, different activities are scheduled during October and mainly on the 31st. “It is part of a policy of the Ministry of Education, which counteracts a practice that is not its own. , which is not Costa Rican, like Halloween.”

Muñoz assures that the tradition comes from pre-Hispanic America with indigenous masks and then with the evangelization of the Spaniards who arrived on the continent, not only with the figures of saints, but also with masks. “Later, in 1870, the tradition was resumed at the impulse of a Carthaginian mask maker named Rafael Valerín, who said that, by order of the Virgin of Los Angeles, the parade with masks had to be part of the celebrations in her honor and so the festivals dedicated to the Virgin began to incorporate them, as did the parade that takes place on October 31,” says the researcher. The masquerades spread to other communities in the country such as Aserrí, Escazú and Heredia, all in the central valley of Costa Rica.

Historian Arnaldo Moya explained to that masquerades are common in the so-called “turns”, which are popular festivals, often associated with religious practices. He adds that they are also linked to the Lent carnivals with a pagan dimension and that they have been promoted to promote Creole compared to the American Halloween celebration. That is why the choice of October 31 as the day of the National Masquerade is due, he argues.

“The origin is Iberian, it comes from the so-called big heads, which are large figures representing kings, queens, jesters and in America they become their own, accompanied by wild music, which cannot be missing.”

Traditional Costa Rican maroon music was declared by the Ministry of Culture and Youth as the country’s intangible heritage in 2022.
Performed by groups that have three to five members, the cimarrona accompanies the masquerade dance by combining instruments such as trumpet, saxophone, snare drum, bass drum and cymbals. According to the Ministry of Culture, the term maroon is related to “independent” and “empirical” musical groups.

As part of the celebrations of this October 31, the Friends without Borders Cultural Association and the National Library of Costa Rica brought together the characters of the Costa Rican masquerade in one of the rooms of this institution, with an exhibition titled “We are celebrating… Oh, let’s celebrate!”

Laura Rodríguez, director of the National Library, explained that the exhibition shows the work of six mask artists who are among the most recognized in the country who are dedicated to making masks of different traditional characters, to which they have added the Costa Rican peasant or figures of animals typical of the native fauna. “On this occasion, giant characters were also incorporated that allude to the king and queen of Spain donated by the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, as a symbol of brotherhood,” Rodríguez explained.

The exhibition includes miniature figures and activities especially aimed at children with workshops to learn how to make masks. “They are characters from the Costa Rican towns and we want the tradition not to be lost. Our masquerades have the seal of ours and we must promote it among the little ones,” the official emphasized.