In lieu of Carnaval 2016 photos… I present more Carnaval de Ovar 2015 pictures.
Sadly, we didn’t go to a Carnival parade today due to poor weather, and opted to stay at home with the pooch instead. And because I had no parade photos, I was going to write something completely different today. That is, until I returned to the batch of RAW files and realized that I’d shot well over 2,000 images at Carnaval de Ovar 2015 and only 5% of those pictures have seen the light of day. In light of that revelation, it would be a pity not to show more, especially with such elaborate costuming and practically the entire city of Ovar in the parade.
Civic Pride Is Something To Behold In Portugal
Something I appreciate in Portugal is that the smaller towns and villages make an enormous collective effort for their festivals — the participation rate is very high, among all generations. As well, the cities don’t try to outdo each other or these towns, all the better to distribute the attention, expenses, and benefits that come with such events beyond the large centres. (Many urban residents have their roots in smaller towns and villages; the keeping of traditions encourages them to return for local holidays.) Although large-scale celebrations such as Tomar’s Festa Dos Tabuleiros and Festas do Povo in Campo Maior are costly and labour-intensive, the municipalities find a way to keep events in the budget by reducing the frequency rather than eliminating them altogether.
What happens in much of the New World is that everyone descends upon the big cities for festivities, leaving the smaller towns ignored, but in Portugal the patron saint festivals are fully celebrated in every size of town as they’ve always been. Within the larger metropolitan areas such as Porto, where the big party is for São João in mid-June, there are smaller parishes such as Afurada in Vila Nova de Gaia with its own patron saint — São Pedro — and an impressive (for its size) parade in early July. Portugal has festivals for all and sundry: food, agriculture, religion, medieval times, and even ancient pagan festivals, such as the Caretos Tradition (pre-Lenten Entrudo Chocalheiro) hosted by tiny Podence, population 250 (as of 2011).
The other aspect of civic pride in Portugal that I’ve mentioned before is that it is not on display to impress tourists.
One of the first things I noticed after moving to Portugal is the raft of live TV road shows that travel around the country. Variations exist across the networks, branded with names like Acqui Portugal and Portugal Em Festa, oozing with the cheese of pimba (fluffy Portuguese pop) music, always accompanied by scantily-dressed dancers and a smiling band pretending to play their instruments. But the treasure of these shows is how they’re also part travelogue, showcasing the unique features of each region and local products of the town, especially food. In the first months I would watch these shows at my in-laws’, and I loved seeing how excited the townsfolk were when they saw themselves on television. On the international networks like RTP, the hosts give people a chance to say hello to their immigrant relatives and friends who watch these shows with feelings of saudade for home.
More Carnaval de Ovar 2015
So, without further ado, some saudade-inducing images of Ovar’s carnival parade for the Portuguese emigrantes who find this page and for the rest to see Portugal’s version of a Halloween parade. See the album for lots more photos and the other posts for video:
Carnaval de Ovar 2015: A Video Preview
Carnaval de Ovar 2015: Vampiros
February 17, 2015
Album: Carnaval de Ovar 2015