April 2022

Culture, Heritage and Tradition The history of the occupation of the territory has always been marked by the adaptation of Man to the surrounding geographical conditions. In this context, Castro Laboreiro is undoubtedly a peculiar territory. Here, the demands of adapting to the environment take on exceptional contours, fundamentally marked by a harsh climate and mountainous relief. The inhabitants of this territory, when they dedicated themselves to the agro-pastoral activity, created ingenious solutions, thus emerging an original settlement model. Scattered across the

The Entroido of Castro Laboreiro in the not too distant past was one of the most participatory festivities in the parish with balls and masquerades in many places. Sometimes the dances took place on the threshing floor. Gunshots, bombs, and even rockets announced the party. The figure of Entroido crastejo is the Farrangalheiro. On those days, the Farrangalheiros went to dances, walked on paths and in houses. They messed with everyone from the youngest to the oldest. The Farrangalheiros went out into

Tradition of fishing in the Minho river fisheries Centuries-old or even almost millenary (the first documented references are from the 11th century) the fishing grounds may have been made by the Castro peoples who inhabited the banks of the river Minho and who already worked with stone and iron. What is known is that they were used by the Romans in the same way they continue to be used today. The story goes that the Romans, lovers of good food and good

In times gone by, the castro woman who had her husband far away, in a foreign country, dressed in black to simultaneously express the pain of an absence and the vow to keep allegiance to her distant companion. The life of these widows and the woman, in general, dependent on an emigrant relative, did not change with the emigration of the head of the family. His mission was to preserve the property by keeping it in production. Remittances from abroad were not

The tradition of lighting São Tomé was lost in time and in the history of some of the most picturesque places in Penso However, every 20th of December, when it gets dark, the people of this parish go out into the street, usually gathering in places, lighting the fachuqueiras (usually made of rye straw) and, with joy and devotion, they shout some of the phrases that are tradition since the memory of this celebration: “Long live Our Lord São Tomé

Drinkings Melgaços water is an experience not to be missed when visiting themost extremenarure destination of Portugal There is a funny story about thes the origins of Melgaço water. Its commercializationonly began in the 19th century, after the cure of a doctor's wife who suffered from stomach pains. Until then, the water remained unknown to the general public.  In the following decades, the popularity of this therapeutic product grew and some groups of people traveled to Melgaço to try the healing waters. There are reports that, in the twenties of the 20th century, the then Portuguese president wanted to visit Melgaço to

Melgaço has some of the richest prehistoric sites in Portugal with engravings, cave paintings and 5000-year-old dolmens. Although the first historical vestiges of Melgaço date back many centuries, over the years civilizations have left deep marks on the territory, with those of the Roman Empire being some of the most impressive. There are currently 10 national monuments to visit in Melgaço. A border village, Melgaço has a border rich in traditions, stories, tales and testimonies of past experiences, where emigration and