Caretos de Podence

Between Domingo Gordo (Sunday before Lent) and Shrove Tuesday, you can hear something in the village of Podence, in the municipality of Macedo de Cavaleiros, 40 km from Bragança. You can hear it and see it. With frantic jumping, running and screaming, the Caretos are on the loose to disturb the daily peace of their fellow villagers. You can recognise them by their outfits. The characters wear colourful, traditional costumes with woollen fringes, tin or leather masks and cowbells around their waists. Part of the winter festivities, characteristic of the Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro region, the Podence Carnival is also known as Entrudo Chocalheiro (Cowbell Shrovetide), a social practice related to the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The main target of the Caretos’«cowbell rattling» and all their performative behaviour, are women, with whom they try to dance and «jangle», amused and protected by their anonymity.
The symbolic act refers to a possible connection to ancient agrarian and fertility rituals, very different from what is observed nowadays. As such, every year, the diabolical and mysterious masked men (whose origin is lost in time) take to the streets during the carnival festivities, interrupting the long, cold, silent days of winter.

The symbolic act refers to a possible connection to ancient agrarian and fertility rituals

On the night of Sunday before Lent, fictitious marriages are performed between unmarried boys and girls in a mock ceremony. A moment of humour, in which no complaints from the bride and groom are allowed. On the morning of the following day, tradition dictates that the boy visits the girl, who drew lots for him, receiving sweets and fine wine from her as a gesture of gratitude. A jest that nobody takes badly.
The younger ones, those who follow and imitate the Caretos are called «facanitos» and ensure the continuity of the tradition of visiting the houses of neighbours and relatives, in a ritual of conviviality. Many even come from abroad, emigrants, who return with the clear purpose of those who have in their blood the responsibility of continuing the practice inherited from parents, uncles and grandparents. But times have changed and with these changes the tradition has adapted. Nowadays, it is also common for girls to take part, who, like the boys, start in childhood with the imitation of their elders.

They take to the streets during the carnival festivities, interrupting the long, cold and silent days of winter

The exhibition of these diabolical figures is one of the most important calendar events in the region, which increasingly attracts national and foreign tourists, curious about such a different tradition.
In 1985, the Caretos de Podence organised themselves and transformed the group into a cultural association. The goal was clear: to preserve history. As a symbol of the culture of north-east Trás-os-Montes, these masked men have been invited to participate in various cultural and recreational events throughout the country. The Caretos de Podence Group Association has thus played an important role, ensuring the continued viability of the Carnival over the last four decades. The beauty and power of the tradition, as well as the persistence and love of those who belong to the region, led to the Caretos de Podence being declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO on December 12, 2019.