In Portugal there are some places where Shrovetide is celebrated in a peculiar way: participants throw flour at each other.
Most of the participants in these rituals are young people, but elderly people also take part, in a healthy and happy coexistence between generations. They gather in the streets of their villages during the afternoon of Fat Sunday and Shrove Tuesday. Many dress up and wear costumes. Masks and costumes are to everyone’s taste. Some wear goggles to protect their eyes, as flour can be thrown with considerable force. Sometimes they also throw water, beer or eggs.
The parties last until dusk.
The festivals documented in this portfolio take place in Santulhão and Constantim de Vila Real, in mainland Portugal.
In Santulhão, after the masked parade, the Shrovetide, represented by a sculpture measuring around four metres in height, is judged in the public square, together with his family. He is considered guilty of all the evils that have afflicted the village over the past year and is sentenced to death by burning at the bonefire. His entire family, represented by life-size human figures, also receive the same sentence, which is carried out immediately. Thus, the entire village will be free from bad luck for a year.
In Constantim, at the end of the afternoon, the Shrovetide, also represented by an anthropomorphic figure measuring around three metres in height, is burned in the public square.
