The costume of Belha from the Morcelas Festival

Who is Belha? The Belha (also called Velha, Beilha, Tiê Biêlha, or Tiê Vielha) is a masked festive character. The role is usually played by a young man dressed as a woman. She appears together with the Carocho - forming a symbolic pair: he is the husband (Carocho), while she is the wife (Belha). Together they go around the village, collecting offerings (sausages, pork parts, other food) from households to help provide for the communal feast of the festival. The Belha represents the feminine figure in the ritual, complementing the wild and frightening Carocho. She often adds a humorous, exaggerated, or provocative element – blurring the line between the sacred and the profane.

Here we have a mannequin without support. Scarf with brown background (head). White shirt. Red skirt with two black stripes. A pair of white cotton socks. Necklace of roasted chestnuts. A pair of brown boots. A two-pronged stick with chorizo sausages and alheira sausage hanging from it.