La familia de la Vejiga
"The family illegally preserving its identity"

Familia de la vejiga

Product Type: Short Film

Genre: Documentary

Production year: 2017

Format: HD

Documentary La Familia de la Vejiga

The festivities of Barva in Heredia, are characterized by the traditional Costa Rican masquerade with clowns and cimarronas. A celebration that in the eyes of the country and the world seems like just another carnival, but nothing could be further from the truth, since the pig and beef bladders burst into the party as an important symbol for the identity of the community.

This is a 120 year old tradition that we have here in town and it is really something and it is something very nice.

Mascarada con Calavera

The prohibition of the Costa Rican State makes it difficult to access the bladders, which has consolidated a hidden market where the illegal transfer of bladders in the surrounding towns is part of its natural dynamics.  Bombi, the most famous mascarero of the town contributes to the cultural tradition as an artist, but his real contribution to the festivities is to be, along with his family, the trafficker of the bladders.

The documentary project La Familia de la Vejiga, arises after several productions for organizations and public institutions in the canton of Barva with the participation of Cucumelo Films. After several conversations with community leaders, we saw the possibility of supporting the efforts of these people to legalize their tradition by telling a story that surpasses fiction in many ways.

Cortometraje La Familia de la Vejiga

Familia de la vejiga

Start to see where we can get bladders where we are going to take out, clandestinely because they no longer help us.

In Barva they dance clowns with bladder, nowhere else in the country only in Barva.

Payasos con vejigas

Desfile de la cimarrona

You come to Barva, get hit with a bladder, leave stinking, and no one has ever died from a bladder.