Education
In Portugal’s northwest there is a pagan tradition called “Entrudo Chocalheiro,” celebrated in some villages in the region of Trás-os-Montes. During the Entrudo Chocalheiro, people dress up in colorful clothes and devil masks and roam the streets making noise with rattles and other instruments, aiming to scare away evil spirits and purify the village. In some places, a “Mascareto” figure made of straw is burned as part of the tradition, representing the devil. This tradition is mainly celebrated during Carnival and is one of Portugal’s oldest and most authentic cultural expressions.