Podence: the village that Caretos put on the map

It was a tradition thousands of years old that made the village of Podence, in Macedo de Cavaleiros, known. The caretos, which rattle the girls at Carnival time, are one of the most genuine Portuguese popular manifestations.     In the meeting between the Cold and Hot Lands of Trás-os-Montes, with the Azibo lagoon on the horizon, the village of Podence is the most traditional place in the municipality of Macedo de Cavaleiros, much due to the traditions that it has managed to preserve.

Perched halfway up the slope, Podence develops between the terrace and the Church of Nossa Senhora da Purificação. It is the sacred and the profane that delimit the main nucleus of the village, since it is in the yard that on Tuesday of Carnival the Entrudo is burnt.

An ancestral tradition

Nowadays, to speak of Podence is to speak of the caretos. The restless masked semi-animal figures are today a trademark of the village, of the municipality of Macedo de Cavaleiros and of Trás-os-Montes. Their origins are ancient and well before Christianity, and in the 20th century they were almost lost.

It was then that the documentary-maker Noémia Delgado arrived in the village in 1976, in search of traditional masks from Trás-os-Montes. The village went to the trunks and they realised that there were only three costumes left. Upon seeing the cameras and – we imagine – the smiling eyes of the filmmaker – the youngsters decided that tradition couldn’t die and set to work.

Now, that’s what we know. During Entrudo, thousands converge on the village to see what is a unique Carnival manifestation, and the caretos are called to festivals all over the place. But it is in Podence that their magic is greater.

Then, on those days, the caretos and their apprentice facanitos run the streets of the village looking for girls to rattle them. With their thick fringed suits, leather or brass masks, the rattles around their waists and the staff to lean on, they are a figure both animalistic and diabolical.

Their origin is lost in time, with scholars claiming it is linked to the Roman Saturnine festivals or the Celtic cult of the god Cernurus, and they are the only boys’ festival linked to the spring equinox. All the others take place between Christmas and New Year.

Podence village

The architecture of the village tells the life of those who inhabit it, and so it can be considered a genuine village. Whoever comes to Podence attracted by the fame that the caretos brought to it, may be disappointed to find a nucleus that has not been preserved.

Here, the old rustic stone houses coexist with constructions made by those who earned their living out there and wanted to return to the land. Here, as in most of the villages of central and northern Portugal, stone is still synonymous with poverty, so those who returned wanted more modern houses, following the examples they saw in the fringes of emigration. The result, of course, is rarely interesting.

But here, this mixture becomes interesting. There are still several traditional houses, some of which have been restored. As you walk up the street, you can see examples of this renovation. Entering the adjacent streets, the visitor will have a glimpse of how the village used to be. Most of these buildings are no longer inhabited or have lost their intended use, but they remain as a memory of times gone by. There are humble houses and farmers’ houses, a chapel and the large hayloft at the foot of the entrance.

At the other end of the village is the Church of Nossa Senhora da Purificação, which is one of the most important churches in the concelho and was rebuilt in 1073, when it gained its altarpieces and gilded carvings.

Podence is a village where the sacred and the profane coexist. Next to the churchyard, the 19th century fountain has the inscription “Por Deus já temos água” (For God we now have water) and, right next door, a restored house exhibits a miniature careto mask on the staircase.

Besides, one of the good restaurants of Macedo de Cavaleiros is located here. At Moagem do João do Padre the “posta” (roast beef) is carefully prepared, but the restaurant is integrated in a tourist accommodation, one of the two that exist in the village.