Careto

In Podence, a tiny village in the north-east of Portugal, about 40 men dressed in stripes of red, yellow and green wool sporting leather belts with cowbells on spend the three days before Lent running wild in the streets playing tricks on the unsuspecting girls. They are the Caretos and it seems these rituals were left by the Lupercalia wich was a very ancient, possibly pre-Roman pastoral festival, observed on February 13 through 15 to avert evil spirits and purify the city, releasing health and fertility. Lupercalia subsumed Februa, an earlier-origin spring cleansing ritual held on the same date, which gives the month of February (Februarius) its name.