PR17Máscaras de Ousilhão e Vila Boa

The land of masks

This route walks through the land of one of the most living traditions in Trás-os-Montes. It is not a trail themed around a festival — it is a circuit of the village where masks are still made and sold, with half the route running through a woodland of oaks and chestnut trees that stretches almost to the concelho of Bragança. Fourteen kilometres through woodland, pastures and chestnut groves, with two villages and a chapel along the way.

The Máscaras de Ousilhão are the centrepiece of the Festa de Saint Stephen, on 25 and 26 December, a winter ritual of ancient origin. The masked figures wear costumes of brightly coloured wool fringing — red, yellow and green — carry cowbells at their waists and move through the village amid the noise and energy of the celebration. Each mask is made by hand by local craftspeople, in wood, cork or metal, with knowledge passed down from generation to generation. Outside the festival period, costumes are mended and blankets woven, and the paintings in the shelter beside the Capela de Nossa Senhora da Alegria keep December present throughout the year.

Ousilhão

The route is circular and begins and ends at the picnic area in Ousilhão, beside the Capela de Nossa Senhora da Alegria, also passing the Igreja de Ousilhão. The village has narrow streets and stone houses, and it is here that the masks are sold.

The woodland

South of the EN316, the route enters an extensive woodland of oaks and chestnut trees — around seven kilometres of genuine trails, half the total distance — stretching almost to the border of the concelho de Bragança. This is the highest section of the circuit, close to a thousand metres, and the quietest.

The Ribeira de Regueiras and Vila Boa de Ousilhão

Between the woodland and Vila Boa de Ousilhão, the path crosses the Ribeira de Regueiras and areas of pasture. Vila Boa is the natural stopping point to restore energy: a café on the square, a fountain, the Igreja de Vila Boa and traditional smoked meats to take away. It sits at the lowest point of the route, at around 720 metres.

Campo and the Capela de S. Roque

Between Vila Boa and Ousilhão, the route passes through Campo, with the Capela de S. Roque, and continues through pastures, vineyards and chestnut groves to the village of the masks. Those who wish to discover more smoked meats and local tradition will find, a few kilometres away, the PR3 · Caminho da Ciradelha, with the Baloiço da Chouriça above the town.