Featured Event

Caretos there are many. But the Caretos de Podence are the only ones that have rattles and that, since December 2019, are part of the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Every year, during Entrudo, the peace that usually reigns in this village of about 200 inhabitants in the municipality of Macedo de Cavaleiros is interrupted by these endearing characters who take to the streets to rattle the girls.

The caretos represent a tradition of the Carnival of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro with Celtic roots and from a pre-Roman period, probably related to the existence of the Galaicos and Brácaros peoples in Galicia and northern Portugal. On Carnival Sunday and Shrove Tuesday, the boys of the village embody the mysterious characters and full of energy run around Podence shouting and jumping. One of the main reasons for the rushes is to find girls to dance with and "rattle" them. This relationship of the caretos with women symbolizes the fertility that the earth begins to gain at this time of year. From February 18 to February 21, the Caretos of Podence will run through the streets of the village in the Northeast Transmontano to celebrate onde of the most genuine Carnival festivities in Portugal".