"As you know I’m Andrés and these are my classmates Javier, Noel and Sergio. We are going to talk to you about the main characters of our Carnival, which is called Entroido.
In Galicia the most well- known carnival takes place in the so-called “Triángulo Máxico” (Magical Triangle) due to the connection between Verín, Laza and Xinzo. The most famous characters are the following ones:
CIGARRONES
The cigarrón is the typical character of the Entroido from Verín. His typical
costumes are: a white shirt, a red tie, a jacket made of silk (similar to the
bullfighter´s), a pair of short trousers also made of silk, with woollen white
plaits, white stockings, a pair of shoes...
Around
their waist they wear a sash made of silk under a leather belt, where there are
five or six bells such as those of the cows’ . They wear a mask made of wood,
carved and painted, which hides the face of the person, and on its back there
are some ornaments (like pictures of animals, the moon or the sun, flowers...)
In their
hands they carry a leather whip. The drawing on the mask is each cigarrón’s
hallmark.
Around this
statue (as you can see), the cigarrón’s birth is celebrated every year.
One week
before, the cigarrón procession is
celebrated, on the so-called Corredoiro Sunday, which opens the Entroido.
The cigarrón was created to raise taxes, but now it is the most popular and
well-known character in the Entroido fron Verín.
PANTALLAS
During the Xinzo de Limia Carnival, hundreds of pantallas go out to the streets, which is quite a ritual and an old tradition.
The pantallas wear: white long trousers, a white shirt, black shoes, black gaiters with red tapes to tie to their legs, a red cape, a kerchief around their neck, a belt with bells and sleigh-bells, white gloves and one or two dry bladders in their hands.
On their heads, the masks called pantallas are made of hard cardboard, paper from newspapers, flour and water to mold the face. This mask looks like a demon with a nice gesture.
On the back of their heads, these masks called pantallas have a horn where animal symbols and astrological symbols like moons or stars are drawn.
The tradition says that if when the pantallas cross the streets they find someone that they know and these people aren’t disguised, then the pantallas can chase them and force them to pay for some wine. Then, the pantallas uncover their face to be indentified by everyone.
PELIQUEIROS
The peliqueiro is almost the same as the cigarron but it’s from Laza, which is 17km away from Verin. The only difference between these carnival costumes is the mask and the scant ornamentation."
