#entrudo

[cogumellow]

cork mountain games // aldeias do xisto, portugal // february 2024 // ©

[go-learn-esperanto]

Who allowed Carnival to be just before Valentine's day? Everyone is going around "omg valentines 🥺🥰" and I'm here like "wtf are you talking about. It's Ash Wednesday ��".

[briixta]

Careto de Lazarim

[passagensdojoao]

Uma noite de Carnaval no Club Farense

No Sábado dia 18 de Fevereiro de 2023, começo à noite, pelas 22.30 h, uma grande aventura, assistir e participar no concerto e festa de carnaval, animada pela Banda do Favinho.

No Sábado dia 18 de Fevereiro de 2023, começo à noite, pelas 22.30 h, uma grande aventura, assistir e participar no concerto e festa de carnaval, animada pela Banda do Favinho. A Banda do Favinho, incansavelmente animou com a sua música e o seu ritmo carnavalesco transportou as pessoas para a pista um constante movimento de dança e animação. Uma noite carnavalesca, bem diferente em que o quadro…

[voguecovers]

• Vogue Portugal, June 2024

model, Carolina Azevedo, photographer JUANKR, head of content Sofia Lucas, cover art director José Santana

❛ Carolina wearing Constanca Entrudo and Calzedonia

_

Special thanks to, Tivoli Marina Vilamoura | Location, Algarve | From Portugal with Love issue, cover 04

[raddlounge]

【 Today’s Outfits 】

CONSTANÇA ENTRUDO.

＊ ALL INTERNATIONAL ORDERS CAN BE PURCHASED VIA PAYPAL.

[disparatearbiter]

[mydarkday]

[cogumellow]

entrudo nas montanhas // lousa, portugal // winter 2024 // ©

[matsiwrld]

constança entrudo ss 24

[go-learn-esperanto]

🎉👹 Feliz Carnaval! 🎭🎊

[migatito]

constanca entrudo

[themindoflexx]

Constanca Entrudo T-shirt

[bluberimufim]

The Caretos of Podence

Happy Carnaval!! Time for another cultural ramblie because I haven't done this in a while!!

(I just think they're cool)

This was originally gonna be about multiple Carnaval traditions in Portugal, like my Halloween post, because I wanted to talk about a really beautiful festivity in my city but then I realized it was related to an entirely different holiday and I wasn't gonna scrap this idea (I'll do that one in August, I guess??). So I decided to make a post about the Caretos of Podence because I just really vibed with them.

disclaimer! None of this is from lived experience, just online research (although I tried to use sources directly related to it, specifically the Casa do Careto website). I am not from Trás-os-Montes at all and have little contact with this. Just like in my first cultural ramblie, this is just me trying to better connect with my own culture and sharing what I find with anyone who's interested. If you see any errors or want to add anything, feel free!! I'm always happy to learn!

Okay, but before we begin: what exactly is Carnaval?

You might have heard of Brazil's Carnaval. Portugal's is way less hardcore but still culturally important (although some brazillian-style Carnavais are celebrated here).

The actual day of Carnaval is the day before Ash Wednesday, but it usually lasts about a week or 3 days in more urban areas (Carnaval break is a real thing that schools have). The general objective is to have an all-out celebration before Lent starts because, after that, you're not supposed to celebrate until Easter rolls around.

The Caretos

The village of Podence is in the middle of Trás-os-Montes, somewhat between Mirandela and Miranda do Douro. It is mostly known for this celebration, which lasts for about a week.

The name "caretos" means something like "big faces" and comes from their very recognizable masks. They're made of either leather or metal and are meant to completely obscure the identity of the wearer. The costumes are made of rows of coloured wool and are usually made by the community. The red, yellow, and green pattern is not mandatory and it can have many different colours, but it's the most common since it's the colours of the flag. On top of the costume, they wear a lot of bells: smaller ones attached to the straps on their chest and 4 to 8 bigger cowbells tied around their waist.

During the celebration, the caretos dance through the town, accompanied by the jingling of their bells. Traditionally, the caretos were young men who chased after single women, but today anyone can wear the costume and chase after anyone they please. They also go around stealing any easily grabbable chorizos left hanging from smokehouses, and use wooden staffs to propel their jumps higher.

On the last day of Carnaval, the Entrudo (a giant figure of a man) is burnt to draw away the bad things of the old year and let in the next. Like this:

This celebration has pagan roots, although none really know exactly where its origins lie. People seem to point to it being a pre-roman festivity, but we have few sources to go from. The most probable explanation is that it was a fertility ritual connected to the agricultural cycle, since this is generally the time in which farmers can start planting again after the winter.

I hope you enjoyed this little ramble. Because I very much did. Here's some more pictures: