Elaborate Costumes Photographed By Carlos González Ximénez At Spanish Festival

Trapajones are a vibrant part of the La Vijanera Spanish festival. The trapajones are characters that are dressed in natural materials such as moss, leaves, branches and are meant to represent the forces of nature. These bizarre costumes are designed to banish evil spirits and are popular during this pagan festival held in the town of Silió, Cantabria, on the first Sunday of each year. The celebration, which marks the winter solstice and the new year, is populated by these trapajones who are believed to be the guardians of nature. Associated with the harvest and seen as symbols of fertility and good luck, the trapajones are said to be able to commune with the animals and plants.  Captured by Carlos González Ximénez, this photo series is an attempt to invite viewers to embark on a journey through time. According to a statement, the exhibition is “a temporal movement, delving into the subconscious of rural communities. Like a bestiary, masks emerge as a living witness of traditions, still today they whisper stories of a palpitating past in our present and guide the cyclical course of their community: The masks of the fertility rituals performed by the Amazigh in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco, the “bear dances” protagonists of the New Year festivals in Moldova, the rural carnivals of the mountains of Cantabria in Spain and the transgressive masks of the Navarrese carnivals, unfold like mythological beings, revealing the wondrous essence of customs and tradition. An extraordinary look at various ritual traditions of Spain, Portugal, Romania, Bulgaria and Morocco, whose approach constitutes the graphic memory of a remote past that is updated in the present.” More info: PhotoEspana | Instagram

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