Festival of the TraysFesta dos Tabuleiros

A unique religious-cultural festival held once every four years in Tomar. It features a grand procession where hundreds of participants from local parishes carry tall bread-laden silver trays "tabuleiros" on their heads, decorated with flower crowns. The festival celebrates Pentecost and is rooted in medieval traditions of agricultural offering and faith. The streets are filled with traditional music, horses, flag-bearers, and the entire community dresses in folk costumes. Attendees witness the elaborately crowned trays paraded from the Convento de Cristo through Tomar’s streets to the Mouchão park 1. The atmosphere is one of deep local significance and pageantry, giving insight into the region’s history and devout community life.

Of medieval origin (possibly dating back to 1247) as a Celtic-Pentecost festival syncretized with Catholic devotion. It was originally a tribute of the bread harvest and an offering to the Holy Spirit. Over centuries it became linked to the Christian Pentecost and local folklore, embodying Tomar’s unique heritage. The festival highlights communal sharing – each tabuleiro is offered to the Convent of Christ and then distributed to participants. It has been recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, reflecting its deep cultural meaning for the people of Ribatejo 1.