Chocalheiro, mask

Wooden mask, with a snake and apple carved on the forehead, used by the character "Chocalheiro", on the occasion of the collections for the celebrations of Our Lady and the of Child Jesus, respectively on December 26th and January 1st.

This type of mask is used in traditional winter festivals in the region of Trás-os-Montes, in northeast of Portugal. These are generally referred to as "Young men's Festivals", which until the mid-twentieth century constituted,amongst these communities important rites of passage to adulthood.