Caretos
2019
Podence, Portugal
In Podence, a small rural village in the northeast of Portugal, the celebration of Carnival is the most important event of the year. During three days, people come together, visiting each other's houses, feasting, telling stories, and expressing their freedom, individuality and shared cultural heritage.
The careto, runs around the village, jiggling, screaming, jumping and scaring people. Acting as a kind of devil figure it is believed to announce the end of winter and the beginning of springtime.
Wearing the careto costume during Carnival is an essencial moment of the upbringing of the people of Podence and their descendants, still passed on from generation to generation.
Carnival formally ends with a giant Shrovetide Burning in the late afternoon. This marks the beginning of Lent, a período of fasting, that begins on Ash Wednesday, and also the departure of those relatives who came back for the festivities.
The true origins of this ritual are unknown. This changing of the seasons has been symbolically interpreted by many cultures around the world originating many different masked celebrations of the passage of time.
It's survival to our days is testament to the importance and the significance attached to this practice. The caretos continue to play a fundamental role in social integration, and in maintaining a sense of community for the inhabitants and descendants of this tradition.
