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Traditional Mallorcan object

Dimoni mask and costume

At a glance

The mask (careta) and the costume of the Mallorcan dimoni: the mocking devil of Sant Antoni and the cossiers. He is not the terrible devil: he is a character…

Objects and tools
Traditional Mallorcan object
Words
Banya Verda, careta, colla de dimonis, dimoni, Dimoni Gros, llendera
Events
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Dimonis of Sant Joan .png
Dimonis of Sant Joan .png — Antoni Picornell, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

What is

The mask (careta) and the costume of the Mallorcan dimoni: the mocking devil of Sant Antoni and the cossiers. He is not the terrible devil: he is a character who can be provoked, pursued and defeated.

How is

  • Mask: full face with horns. Montuïri: originally made of wood, twisted goat horns, eyebrows and mustache made of horsehair.
  • Vestit: full suit of painted sackcloth. Montuïri: scenes from hell; Manacor (cossiers): covers body and head, long and thin horns.
  • Attributes: llendera (whip) and barrota (stick) in Montuïri; brooms or forks on Wall; picarol on the back.
  • Footwear: black espadrilles (Montuïri).
  • Modern Correfoc: the Dimonis d'Albopàs (sa Pobla, 1998) dress in red with personalized masks; The first correfoc groups (1988) used half masks.

How is fa

  • Ancient: wood carving, horsehair and natural horn (Montuïri).
  • Modern: cardboard and resin techniques (to verify by workshop); It has not been located who makes them today.

Com s'usa

  • Sant Antoni: dances around the saint, tempts him and mocks him ( sa Pobla , Manacor , Artà ).
  • Cossiers: open the procession, make room, chase the young people; in the end the Lady steps on him ( Montuïri ).
  • The bearer changes by draw (sa Pobla) or by personal tradition (Dimoni Gros de Manacor, the same person since 1991).

Vocabulary

  • careta: mask.
  • dimoni: party devil.
  • Dimoni Gros: the main man of Manacor.
  • Banya Verda: that of Montuïri.
  • llendera: stick.
  • colla de dimonis: group.

History

  • Finals XVIII: colla de dimonis documented in sa Pobla.
  • 18th century: dimoni in Manacor linked to the dance of Sant Joan; It moved to Sant Antoni at the end of the 19th century. XIX.
  • 1784: "six cavallets, a lady and a demon that follows them" (Felanitx).
  • 1958: current dimonis of sa Pobla.
  • 1988: first correfoc groups in Mallorca.

On veure'n

Why is it design

  • Typology with local variations: each town has its recognizable dimoni.
  • Farm materials: sack, horsehair, horn and wood.
  • Face for a character: the mask turns a person into a collective figure.

For the project

  • Catalog of dimoni masks from Mallorca (front and profile photo, material, date, author).
  • Locate mask artisans: ask the Museu de sa Pobla and the Patronat de Manacor.

Frequently asked questions

What is Dimoni mask and costume?

The mask (careta) and the costume of the Mallorcan dimoni: the mocking devil of Sant Antoni and the cossiers. He is not the terrible devil: he is a character…

What are the traditional words for Dimoni mask and costume?

Some words: Banya Verda, careta, colla de dimonis, dimoni, Dimoni Gros, llendera.

Sources

Working text from the Disseny Indígena knowledge base, machine-translated from Spanish.

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