Cantaré, Latin American Music

BAILEMOS LA PLENA

CARNAVAL IN PONCE, PUERTO RICO

INTRODUCTION

PUERTO RICO HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY

The island of Puerto Rico is located in the Caribbean Sea. It is the smallest of the 4 Greater Antilles Islands, which include Cuba (the largest), Hispaniola (shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and Jamaica. Puerto Rico is only 100 miles long by 35 miles wide. It is 1000 miles from Miami.

Before the Spaniards discovered Puerto Rico, it was populated by their original inhabitants, the Taíno. The Taínos were a peaceful Indigenous nation. They named their island Borinquen or Borikén. Puerto Ricans refer to themselves as Puertorriqueños or Boricuas.

Puerto Rico's The Capital of Puerto Rico is San Juan. Spanish is the native language climate is tropical. It is usually sunny, very hot and humid. There is no winter, spring or fall, only summertime. but many people speak English as well.

Puerto Rico is a US Territory. It was given to the United States with the Treaty of Paris after the Spanish American War in 1898.

In 1952 Puerto Rico became a Commonwealth of the United States, giving islanders "limited" self-rule - much like a state. There is an elected governor and an elected Congress. However, Puerto Ricans are considered United States citizens, but they do not vote in presidential elections unless they reside in one of the states!!

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CARNAVAL IN LATIN AMERICA

During February and March, in the weeks just before Lent, many Latin American countries enjoy a celebration known as Carnaval. The festivities include parades, dancing, wild costumes and colorful masks.

Carnaval celebrations began a very long time ago. The term Carnaval comes from the Latin expression carne vale, which means "farewell to meat", signifying that those were the last days when one could eat meat before the fasting of Lent.

Nowadays, Carnaval is celebrated in many countries around the world. Despite the many regional differences, all of these celebrations include many days of dances, parades, masks, costumes and joyful public celebrations.

In the Americas, each colony incorporated existing Indigenous rituals into their Carnaval celebrations. Later on, with the arrival of the African culture, African rituals, rhythms and instruments were also incorporated into Carnaval celebrations.

In some cities of the United States, such as New Orleans and Mobile, they also celebrate Carnaval, except they call it Mardi Gras!

CARNAVAL IN PONCE, PUERTO RICO

The annual Carnaval celebration held in the town of Ponce, Puerto Rico is a celebration that lasts one week and ends on Ash Wednesday. It is one of the oldest Carnaval celebrations of the Western Hemisphere, dating back to 1858.

One of the traditions of the Carnaval is the appearance of the vejigante, which is a character wearing a colorful costume traditionally representing evil. The name comes from word for bladder in Spanish, vejiga. The tradition was that vejigantes carried blown cow bladders filled with seeds and beans, with which they made sounds and chased Carnaval attendees throughout the processions. Now they use rattles.

The traditional vejigante masks of the Ponce Carnaval are made of papier-maché and are characterized by the presence of multiple horns.

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BAILEMOS LA PLENA ACTIVITY 1

THE GREATER ANTILLES ISLANDS

1) The names of the 4 Greater Antilles Islands are:

1.______2. ______

3. ______4. ______

2) There are two large bodies of water surrounding the Greater Antilles.

The ______Ocean and the ______Sea.

3) The Island of ______is divided into 2 countries: ______

and ______.

4) The 3 Spanish-Speaking Islands in the Caribbean are ______,

______and ______.

Ø HINT: One is only 300 miles away from Miami, one is only half of an island, and one is a

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BAILEMOS LA PLENA ACTIVITY 2

The song Bailemos la Plena presented by Cantaré, comes from the Carnaval tradition of the town of Ponce, Puerto Rico. They use a combination of 2 types of instruments: • Percussion instruments – the kind that you play by tapping/striking, shaking or scratching/scraping (drum, shake, scraper). • String instruments – the type that you play by plucking or strumming, such as with a guitar or a bass, or with a bow, such as with a violin or cello.

MATCH THE INSTRUMENTS Match each instrument to the correct definition

Panderetas (or pleneras) – a set of three different sized hand drums used to perform 1. Plena , an Afro-Puerto Rican rhythm.

CONGAS - The name in Spanish is tumbadora. These drums originated in 2. Cuba. They are shaped somewhat like a barrel and are usually played in pairs.

Güiro – a hollowed gourd made from the fruit of an “higuera” or gourd plant, with grooves carved on the side. A fine wire fork 3. is used to scratch the ridges producing a scraping sound.

Puerto Rican cuatro – The national folkloric instrument of Puerto Rico, which looks like a small guitar. Originally it had 4. four strings, now it has 10 metal strings that produce a high pitch sound. It is also used in Mexico.

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BAILEMOS LA PLENA ACTIVITY 3

VEJIGANTE MASK

Here is an example of a traditional Vejigante Mask. Use it as an inspiration to create your own.

Version 1 – EASY (next page)

With a 9" x 12" color construction paper folded in half, trace the mask using the template. Cut out outlines with scissors. Over a cutting board, cut out the openings of the eyes, mouth, and side horns. Unfold the masks. You can decorate them with dots, sequins, or feathers. For a sturdier mask, glue it to a piece of cardboard or paper plate.

Version 2 – MEDIUM (last page)

Print out, color and cut out the blank paper template to make a beautiful mask in seconds. For a sturdier mask, glue it to a piece of cardboard or paper plate. Cut out and color pieces of construction paper or a paper plate to make horns.

Version 3 – HARD (online)

Click on the link below to visit the website for the Smithsonian Museum of American History and download the instructions to make a Vejigante mask with paper maché.

https://amhistory.si.edu/ourstory/pdf/puerto/carnival_mask.pdf

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Version 1

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Version 2

supercoloring.com/masks

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