TITLE: Carnival Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: El Salvador
SUBREGION: San Salvador
ETHNICITY: Mestizo
DESCRIPTION: Dientón/Lenguón (Big Teeth/Big Tongue) Mask
CATALOG ID: LASV003
MAKER: Celio López (San Antonio Abad, 1962- )
CEREMONY: Carnival
AGE: 2016
MAIN MATERIAL: pito wood
OTHER MATERIALS: oil-based paint; shoestrings
Carnival is celebrated in El Salvador with the same enthusiasm as it is in other Catholic countries. Carnival is the celebration prior to the fasting season of Lent. In some parts of El Salvador, such as the San Antonio Abad neighborhood of San Salvador, paraders or celebrants wear wooden masks depicting characters from popular culture, political figures, animals, or clowns. This dientón/lenguón (big teeth/big tongue) mask falls into the last category, representing a clown intended to provoke hilarity in the audience.
