You probably wouldn’t book a trip just to experience this mysterious and mystical celebration, Portugal’s Celtic Carnival also called Entrudo… Because you wouldn’t know about it!
Did you know about Portugal’s Celtic Carnival?
What is Padrão dos Descobrimentos in Lisbon?
January 17, 2023
Female solo travel books you need to read
February 24, 2023But let’s make things clear before we tell you all about it: by Celtic, we really mean pre-Roman. The origin of this celebration can’t be pinpointed but it is known to date back to pagan times. With the spread of Roman culture and practices, and even later on those of Christianity — it couldn’t be erradicated.
Where should I go?
There are two places where you can definitely head to witness this colorful, arcane tradition:
- Lazarim, Viseu district
- Podence, Bragança district
These are probably the most famous settings in Portugal for Entrudo, and you can find similarities but also differences between them.
For instance, the masked figures both in Lazarim and in Podence are called caretos. These figures are usually men, although nowadays young women are joining in, bearing masks and dressed from head to toe in big, handmade costumes.
In Podence
The careto’s costumes are made from colorful wool: red, green and yellow. They masks are made from tin or leather and have a big, prominent nose. Their belts are heavy with rattles, called chocalhos. They make a lot of noise.
Children can also wear a special costume, so as to carry on the tradition, and the children are thus called facanitos.
In Podence, the caretos are like a force of nature. They are filled with mirth and vitality, and they walk the streets in light-hearted romps. These figures traditionally play around with women. The tradition is to seek women and rattle them.
In Lazarim
Here, you can observe a more varied choice of masks and materials used. The costumes take wool, sheepskin, straw, and dried corn leaves. The figures wear hand carved masks, usually made from alder wood.
On Tuesday, a meal is shared between everyone. You can eat a sort of soup called flour broth, and also Portuguese bean stew. It is delicious, and the perfect comfort food for the final, harder days of winter.
When should I visit?
Entrudo, as we call it, is a celebration of the end of winter and a welcoming of spring. It is also related to a day of folly, always on a Tuesday, a couple of months before Easter.
So, in order to experience it in full swing, you should book your trip for exactly 47 days before Easter Sunday. That would be mid-February, late February, sometimes even early March.
But don’t worry too much about getting the date right. These celebrations usually start on the weekend, so you can hang out in Lazarim or Podence for the weekend or even the whole week.
The Iberian mask
In Lamego, you can visit the Interpretation Center of the Iberian Mask, or CIMI (Centro Interpretativo da Máscara Ibérica). This is a museum dedicated to the masks carved by hand.
This is a unique experience, different from any other touristy activities since you can learn about the most genuine traditions of the Portuguese in the green, rainy North where Portugal first came to be.
