The manufacture of rattles in Portugal, being a way of life, It is also an art and cultural manifestation, or had not been classified, in 1 December 2015, as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, with the Need for Urgent Safeguarding.
The village of Alcáçovas, or was it not already celebrated by the first meeting of the officers of the Armed Forces Movement, in Monte do Sobral, It is the greatest symbol of rattle art in Portugal. Based on the experience and art of the two partners of the company Chocalhos Pardalinho, a house that has already celebrated its centenary.
Together there is 15 year old, Guilherme Maia and Francisco Cardoso, produce thousands of rattles every year, for sheep or cattle, but also as competition trophies, as art already turning to tourism and a path for the future will be decoration. Sparrow rattles can be found, from North to South of Portugal, in Spain, France and Angola, being agriculture, read cattle breeding, the main route for product flow.
In full Ovibeja, to Lidador NEWS (LN), Francisco Cardoso, described how to make a good rattle: “it all starts with the iron plate shaped on the anvil with a hammer. It is then coated with clay, with the brass inside, that in an oven heated to 1250 degrees, causes the fusion of the two metals.”.
But art has more to say and Francisco reveals that “a good fusion gives the ideal color and sound. Well done, but no sound, the rattle is no good”, adding that “there are specific sizes and sounds of rattles for each animal. For example a leader sheep, has a different sound from the rest of the herd. Before there were rattles for each season of the year”, ends.
With 80 year old, José Luís Maia, better known as “Zé Pardalinho”, returned to active duty, because labor is increasingly scarce. “We became twelve, now there are four of us including an apprentice, that takes a dozen years to form. Heartless, soul and life not rattling masters”, justifies Guilherme Maia.
“Agriculture is our main market, tourism also has a lot of importance and we are exploring a new path, which is the manufacture of the rattle for decoration. Dry, Intensive plantations of olive groves and other crops are making animals disappear and without them the rattles make no sense.”, concretized.
Competitions like Ovibeja, the Tour of Alentejo, trails like Serra da Estrela and others, The rattles have symbols offering gifts to guests and winners of initiatives. Beyond rattling art, a year earlier, Cante Alentejano was recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, in 2017, the Estremoz Dolls, traditional clay figures and finally in 2021 the Paper Flowers of Campo Maior, constitute the bastion of the “Four UNESCO Monuments” of Alentejo.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
