Did you know that… Carnival was a foolish game of running around, which included water, flour and egg battles that appeared before the serpentine battles?
In Funchal there was a particularly lively area on Shrove Tuesday, where all this running took place: it was located right on the city’s heart, in a road section at Rua da Carreira between Largo da Igrejinha and Rua de São Francisco, spreading sometimes all the way to Travessa do Freitas.
The revelry lasted three hours and those who dared crossing this zone upon that period of time were subjected to the Carnival rules… not even the police officers escaped those “attacks”!
This entire atmosphere was lived intensely and the parade, which started at 2 o’clock, was always looked for in great expectation. The typical Carnival pranks, the masked people and open top old cars parade, the crowd on the sidewalks, balconies and windows, brought colour, joy and excitement to this entertaining carnival frame.
This tradition was discontinued in the end of the 40’s of the 20th century.
© 2023 FEELING MADEIRA TOURS & WALKS
