Cegadas : The humoristic side of Portuguese Carnival

The “Cegadas” were critiques that revealed the humoristic side of the Portuguese people, and the carnival was the best time of the year to do that, because just like everybody says: in the carnival nobody takes the jokes amiss. It is a typical tradition from the South of Portugal, but we can also find it in Sesimbra, Ourique or Odemira.

The expression “cegadas” comes from a Portuguese carnival tradition. In fact, formerly, everyone used to disguise themselves till they became unrecognizable to the others. The aim was to criticize, ironically, important and respectable people, just like politicians, for instance.

The “Cegadas” are representations, a kind of theatre plays, but they are considered a little bit malicious. They are made by small groups and each “Cegada” lasts, approximately, an hour. The texts that are used in “Cegadas” could be made by the groups or ordered to people from outside.

Those tricks were not always easily accepted and there are even memories of some incidents with the police. So, in the 60’s, the Portuguese government decided to forbid the “Cegadas” practices. At the time, Portugal was ruled by a dictator and, in a dictatorship, nobody was able to express, in any way, political opinions. Obviously, as usual, stolen fruits are sweetest, and this period was when the biggest “cegadas” took place.

Nowadays, there is no longer this sense of tradition, maybe because nobody is arrested for mocking with the government.