Reisado

The costumes of the Reisado include big checkered skirts with many adornments, glass beads and sequins. The lavishly decorated hats, with ribbons and mirrors, are a separate attraction; some of them reproduce church façades and even the pope ́s headdress. The presence of mirrors on the Reisado costumes has a mystical meaning. Those who wear them believe that bad thoughts directed at them will “hit” the mirrors and return to those who are sending them, thus, serving as an amulet.

A very common game is played during the presentation of the Reisado: the participants place a hat on the spectator ́s head, a fact that cannot be ignored since it means that the “chosen one” should, in return for this courtesy, make an offer of cash. Whoever refuses to do so will be at the mercy of the character, Mateus, who will give him a forceful “whipping” with balloons.