Epiphany (Kings') Festival of SalsasFesta dos Reis em Salsas

A vibrant New Year / Epiphany street festival in Salsas (Bragança) held annually on or around January 5–6. Hundreds of local caretos clad in colorful tattered costumes and bells parade through the village accompanied by drums and bagpipes. The masked procession carries torches or burning waste ('queimar o ano velho') in a ritual to cleanse the past year. Locals and visitors join in song and dance around bonfires, celebrating community identity. The 2025 edition (Jan 4, 2025) saw participation from caretos of many villages, preserving authentic folklore. The festival highlights the carnival spirit linked to the Three Kings’ Day. 1 The traditional peditório and community auction on the evening of January 5 are core local elements of the celebration.

This festival is part of the region’s Epiphany traditions, where caretos represent ancestral figures driving out winter and negative forces. It emphasizes communal unity through collective festivity. The ritual burning of the old year and procession echo age-old purification rites. As 'Festa dos Reis', it ties to the Christian calendar but retains strong pagan symbolism (masked dancers, noise-making) as a form of rural carnival. 1