Considered by many the most typical carnival of portugal, the feast is characterized by the Caretos, ethnographic procession, and satirical wills, in a licentiousness from times when everything was lived in clandestinity, confronting the institutional and religious authority in force. The rituals of celebration gives to the mask the main role. To the Careto (the person holding the mask), the mask transfers power and transforms it into a representation of the sacred and profane antagonisms that invade the localities at this time of year. Thus happens a fun dance between order and chaos, heaven and hell. These men, dressed in original suits holding almost superhuman power, grant him for a few days the right of social representation and freedom to act outside the rules.
