It's the most wonderful time of the year! As cold as Christmas, and everyone is likewise full of good cheer. Like in the rest of the north of the peninsula, Cádiz, and the Canary Islands, Galicia celebrates Carnival with costumes, traditions, merriment, and days off.
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| Robin Hood assessing the situation |
For the first part of this year's celebrations, we went south of the border. Driving through the villages of Galicia, you know you're getting close to the invisible border when the car radio starts picking up mainly Portuguese-speaking stations. And the first stop beyond that invisible line is Pitões: population 200. On one side it has some rocky hills, and on the other miles of fields. Although the village is charming with red-roofed, stone houses, it's somewhat abandoned. There's a communal oven, a stone hut where they still make bread. It also has two bars in the ¨center¨ (re: a small plaza with said bars, and a multiuse building).
Some friends rented a house in quaint little Pitões, and we brought the festa with us. While in Galicia it's typical to dress up everyday for Carnival, in Portugal (or at least Pitões) not so much. The other visitors wore normal clothes, while our bunch was decked out. The day's festivities began with a handful of town elders in costume dancing and singing. Then came the band, who were Galicians too. They were dressed in traditional capes and animal hats. They kept the music going until the wee hours--and our group made sure there was always someone to accompany their playing with a
muiñeira or
paso doble.
As night approached, we were in for a special treat. Gathered in the multiuse building (which during the day had held a small traditional food expo), were the same old ladies who had dressed up before and sold their homemade sausages and liqueurs. Except this time they were lined up, singing. Songs of yesteryear, I guess. Songs in Portuguese, but since Galician and Portuguese were once the same, some of our group knew the songs and could sing along. They taught us a very melancholic song,
Viva Pitões! Then a few of the elders helped us dance in a round while they sung. Like Carnival ...circa 1920.
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| Vaia banda e vaia vistas! |
Some friends rented a house in quaint little Pitões, and we brought the festa with us. While in Galicia it's typical to dress up everyday for Carnival, in Portugal (or at least Pitões) not so much. The other visitors wore normal clothes, while our bunch was decked out. The day's festivities began with a handful of town elders in costume dancing and singing. Then came the band, who were Galicians too. They were dressed in traditional capes and animal hats. They kept the music going until the wee hours--and our group made sure there was always someone to accompany their playing with a muiñeira or paso doble. 
