I prefer my filloas with nutella spread across them, but it is traditional to spread them with jam or butter.
Another Entroido tradition is the peliqueiros parade in the town of Laza, Ourense. Peliqueiros symbolize the tax collectors of ages past. During this parade, they run through the streets, ringing the bells on their elaborate uniforms and playfully enforcing order by chasing festival attendees without masks. My school’s art class held a mask making competition in honor of this Galician tradition, and students used paper mache and paint to create all kinds of different masks, including the iconic mask of the peliqueiro. While helping my students work, I asked them if they had attended Laza’s peliqueiro parade before. One girl laughed and said she had when she was little, and when she took her mask off because she was hot, one of the peliqueiros snapped her in the ankle with his whip and she started crying! The peliqueiros sure take their jobs seriously!
Galicia’s Entroido blends ancient pagan festivals celebrating the transition from winter to spring blend with Christian pre-Lenten celebrations to create something new and unique. Foods like filloas are cheap to make and use simple, commonly found ingredients, making them a perfect festival food for this celebration. The peliqueiro parade originated as a way for townspeople to playfully mock widely hated authorities like tax collectors and continues in the same spirit today.
