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Traditional craft of Mallorca

Carassers and dimonis (festive mask makers)

At a glance

Manufacture of dimoni caretes (masks) and other festive figures, especially for Sant Antoni (January 16-17). They are worked in cardboard, papier-mâché…

Crafts
Traditional craft of Mallorca
Artisans in the register
8 · Inca, Pollença, Campanet, Esporles, Lloret De Vistalegre
Words
caparrot, carassa, carasser / carassera, careta, dimoni
Dimoni — AtiarFoc 2011 (5380513659)
Dimoni — AtiarFoc 2011 (5380513659) — Andrés Nieto Porras from Palma de Mallorca, España, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

What it is and technique

Manufacture of dimoni caretes (masks) and other festive figures, especially for Sant Antoni (January 16-17). They are worked in cardboard, papier-mâché, wood, leather or modern fibers; They are painted and completed with horns and hair (materials to be verified by the workshop). The artisan repertoire recognizes the craft of carasser.

Process step by step

1. Model the face (mud or other positive).

2. Fer el motlle and laminate cardboard and glue (general papier-mâché technique; check in Mallorca).

3. Disassemble and reinforce.

4. Paint with the colors of each town.

5. Garnish with horns, hair and girths.

Forms and objects

Vocabulary

  • carasser / carassera: craftsman of carasses (repertoire craft).
  • careta: mask ("careta de lletja ganyota" from the dimonis, Rosselló).
  • carassa: ancient cardboard figurative face; deformed face to be scary.
  • dimoni: character from the Sant Antoni festival.
  • caparrot: in Mall., large head; also headache or stubborn person.

Geography

  • Manacor, Artà, sa Pobla and many other towns.
  • Museum of Sant Antoni i el Dimoni (sa Pobla).

Short story

  • 1489: document on painting "çamarretes y caraces" of condemned men (DCVB): carassa was already a painting profession.
  • 1991: the current Dimoni Gros of Manacor embodies the figure (the bearer has been in the colla for 40 years, 2024).
  • The Manacor association opposes commercial copies of the Dimoni Gros mask.

State

Alive. Register of artisans (consultation 10/13/2026): 8 carasser registrations in Mallorca.

Why is it design

  • Local identity by mask: each town has its recognizable dimoni.
  • Collective ownership of the design: the colla protects the form against commercial copying.
  • Design for action: weight, vision and ventilation to dance for hours.

For the project

  • Comparative atlas of dimoni caretes by town (with the Museu de sa Pobla).
  • Talk to registered carassers about materials and relief.

Frequently asked questions

What is Carassers and dimonis (festive mask makers)?

Manufacture of dimoni caretes (masks) and other festive figures, especially for Sant Antoni (January 16-17). They are worked in cardboard, papier-mâché…

Who practises Carassers and dimonis (festive mask makers) in Mallorca today?

The Balearic Islands Crafts Register lists 8 artisans linked to this craft, in Inca, Pollença, Campanet, Esporles, Lloret De Vistalegre.

What are the traditional words for Carassers and dimonis (festive mask makers)?

Some words: caparrot, carassa, carasser / carassera, careta, dimoni.

Sources

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

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