Minho Carnival - masks, caretos and a tradition older than Brazil

Carnival in Northern Portugal is one of Europe's oldest and strangest traditions. Forget city parades with floats - Minho's Entrudo is rural, nocturnal, and has pagan roots that survived centuries of Church.

30 minutes from the Villa, in villages like Vila Boa de Bucos, the caretos come out: figures dressed in rags, with painted tin or carved wooden masks, ringing cowbells and threatening passers-by. It's grotesque, it's fun, and it's rare.

Closer, Viana hosts a Sunday parade through the centre, but the real Entrudo lives in the rural parishes. We recommend a full day: leave early, lunch at a local tasca (rojões, sarrabulho), watch the parade, come back late for the heated pool.

A tip: Carolina can lend blankets and make caldo verde for when you return cold. It's part of it.