Many women in Cobres experienced the festival as spectators due to the high cost of the madama costumes, a role traditionally off-limits for married women. Others danced as madamas or simply wore dresses in their time and now want to continue enjoying the Entroido de Cobres.
The Entroido de Cobres knows no age limits. The presentation that toured the neighborhoods of Vilaboa this Saturday showed that there is a new generation ready: dozens of children eager to take over, become madamas and galáns, wear their majestic hats, and dance without holding back.
Although today it’s common to see little girls wearing festive hats, tradition used to mark the age of 15 as the moment a girl could fully dress up, hat included. And she could only do so until she had a suitor. The Entroido de Cobres and its dances originally aimed to foster courtship. Once that goal was met, participating further was not allowed.
Over the past 50 years, many young women from Cobres were left longing for Entroido. Silenced by the rules of a rigid rural society, they assumed the role of spectators of a celebration they had wanted to lead.
That’s how, 13 years ago, the “Veterans of the Entroido de Cobres” were born — a mostly female group, with a few men, who rehearse together, work to revive old melodies, and perform every Sunday and Tuesday of Entroido on the Riomaior stage, “the days when the most people come.”
They are a clear example of the progress made by women in recent decades. “When we started, we were heavily criticized. People said we were just a bunch of married women being silly. Now, it’s normalized,” says Luisa Poceiro, who recalls that “a married woman couldn’t be a madama.” They acknowledge, however, that it was a man, Gonzalo Garrido, who encouraged them to take the leap and connected them with Laureano and Maruja, two locals who helped them recover an old dance — the sword dance, one of the unique features of the Entroido de Cobres.
They chose a modest costume, nothing like the madamas’. “We dress like old village women, without a hat or chest adornment, and wear hardly any jewelry,” says Beti del Río, who also believes the Veterans are a great option for those who couldn’t enjoy Entroido when they were young.
She admits that, in her case, the family situation made it impossible to afford a madama costume. “We were three siblings, and at home it was unthinkable to afford that. My grandmother would buy us a costume, and we’d go out — but not dressed up.”
Today, a madama outfit can cost around €3,000, considering the hat, chest piece, and garments. Decades ago, the cost wasn’t much lower. “There were other priorities, and being a madama or galán was not an option for many families.”
So Beti del Río is clear: “The Veterans are an alternative for those of us who didn’t get to enjoy Entroido in our youth.” In this group, where fun is guaranteed, women in their 30s dance alongside others who have passed the age of 60.
Women, who have always played a leading role in the Entroido de Cobres, took on a new level of protagonism in the last edition by assuming a traditionally male role. Leti da Taberna, a popular content creator in Galician, took charge of the satirical part of the festival and will return this year in the same role.
