“Chocalheiro” Magnet Set

Set of six magnets inspired by the Mask of the “Chocalheiros” of Bemposta.

A keepsake of your visit to Lamego Museum! Place on your fridge or on any magnetic surface. 

Inspired by:

Mask of the Bemposta rambler. Amável Antão (author). Portugal. 20th century. Carved wooden sculpture. Roberto Afonso collection, Ritual Masks of Portugal

On the Miranda do Douro plateau, the winter solstice awakens the Chocalheiro (rattlers) costumes, with the distinct masks that embody ancestral rituals, among the richest in iconographic, ethnological and anthropological fields.

The Chocalheiros of Bemposta take to the streets from 26th December to January 1st. Sometimes “tame” sometimes “wild”, they dress in black suits with red stripes and roam the streets of the village.

Mediators of the eternal relationship between man and the supernatural, they are transformed for moments into magical beings who take on the roles of good and evil, evoking the dead and challenging the living, causing ephemeral chaos, but then immediately re-establishing order.