The Coco or Coca is a mythical ghost-like monster, equivalent to the bogeyman, found in Spain and Portugal. Those beliefs have also spread in many Hispanophone and Lusophone countries. It can also be considered an Iberian version of a bugbear as it is a commonly used figure of speech representing an irrational or exaggerated fear. The Cucuy is a male being while Cuca is a female version of the mythical monster. The "monster" will come to the house of disobedient children at night and take them away.
Que Viene el Coco (1799) by Goya
Festa da Coca during the Corpus Christi celebration, in Monção, Portugal
Cucafera during the Festa Major de Santa Tecla in Tarragona, Spain
In Portuguese, the skull-like carved vegetable lanterns are called "coco" or "coca".
The coconut tree is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus Cocos. The term "coconut" can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which botanically is a drupe, not a nut. They are ubiquitous in coastal tropical regions and are a cultural icon of the tropics.
Coconut
Image: Cocos nucifera Köhler–s Medizinal Pflanzen 187
Image: Coconut 4
Coconut palm leaves