On The Go Snaps
The two kinds of roads you get at Trás-Os-Montes.
Galhofa. Wrestling on top of straw in the barns of Trás-Os-Montes, where showing one’s strength goes hand in hand with local rivalries. Because not everything related with winter solstice has to do with masks.
Yesterday, when I wrote about masks becoming less important to me as I go more often to these masked traditions, this is a bit why: the joy of celebration, the sharing of an identity, those were subtle things I was referring to. The kind of things that actually drive me more to go there than just the mistery of the masks and costumes.
Not on purpose, but today the photo I picked from today’s visit to Grijó de Parada was more in tune to that.
I often tell everyone that the more I go to masked traditions, at least in this corner of Europe, the less important the mask and the costume feels to me. It still is, a lot, don’t get me wrong, but there are so many other subtle things that it feels not fair to look only at that one.
But today, as I quickly browsed through my pictures from my return to Ousilhão, one that caught my eye was one where the mask is the main character.
I’d love to be more consistent, but things aren’t as linear as that 😁
Time of the year to take the Christmas tree from the basement, turn on the lights and count the days to feast around the table.
