The Festival of the Trays happens in Tomar, Portugal. It is a parade of girls wearing tabuleiros on their heads as shown in the pictures below.
There are horses and buggies too.
It is held every four years, the last one was 2019, the next is 2023. It originated from a cult hundreds of years ago.
The girls wear long white dresses with bright red or yellow sash. The boys wear a formal costume.
You can the details of the paper flowers and bread on the tray.
- Frequency: Festa dos Tabuleiros takes place every four years in July.
- Symbolism: The festival celebrates the Holy Spirit and the community’s gratitude for the year’s bountiful harvest. It also emphasizes the importance of bread, an essential staple in the Portuguese diet.
- Trays: The festival’s main attraction is the procession of women carrying large, ornately decorated trays, or “tabuleiros,” on their heads. These trays are adorned with flowers, loaves of bread, and other symbolic elements. The trays can be as tall as the women carrying them and may weigh up to 30 pounds.
- Decorations: The town of Tomar is decorated with colorful paper flowers, ribbons, and banners, creating a festive atmosphere. The streets are often lined with intricate patterns made from flower petals and colored sawdust.
- Activities: In addition to the procession, the festival features various activities, including religious ceremonies, traditional music and dance performances, and other cultural events. You can also enjoy local cuisine and learn about Tomar’s history and culture.
Women carrying heavy flower decorated trays for the traditional Trays Festival around the historic town of Tomar, Portugal, Europe.
The paper flowers are handmade. They are in all colors, with many white, red, purple, yellow, and green.
Tomar is a small city located in the Central Region of Portugal.
The women have to balance the headdress using head, and hands.
Infographic
It looks like fun.
Tomar is a town with 20k people.
The tabuleiro has 30 stacked pieces of bread, 6 rows of 5 or 5 rows of 6, decorated with tons of gorgeous flowers.
