The Traditional Rag Doll
History of Flávio Gomes - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
The marafona, also called matrafona in Alentejo, is a rag doll dressed in colorful regional costumes. These dolls play a significant role in local celebrations, such as the Festa das Cruzes in Monsanto, where single women dance with the marafonas. After the party, the dolls are placed on the beds to protect the house from storms and the evil eye. At weddings, they are kept under the bed to bring fertility and happiness to the couple. Marafonas are also an important part of the Caretos de Podence festival, in which a marafona is a masked woman. There is a legend that these dolls were used to trick the Moors during a siege at Monsanto. They also parade at the Torres Vedras Carnival.
