In the week leading up to Ash Wednesday, Puerto Ricans have their own version of Mardi Gras. It's called the Ponce Carnival, this festival is the most celebrated festival in Puerto Rico. It is also the most colorful festival and the oldest, starting in the 1700's. This festival is a fun event filled with bomba y plena music. The festivals main attraction is the vejigantes which are costumed people wearing masks. The festival ends on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday with the Burial of the Sardine. This is a crazy mock funeral procession led by fake mourners. 
