Portuguese Folk dancing groups

Portugal is very rich country in terms of Folklore. It has many regions, each one with many different characteristics.
The meaning of folklore derives from the science that is studying popular traditions, like songs and dances that are from a certain region and period.
One of the most known regions is Minho, its dances are very energetic. “Chula”, “A Cana Verde”, “O Vira” and “O Malhão” are very charateristic dances from the Alto Minho. From the diversity of feminine apparel, the most common are work clothes and the Sunday best. All apparels have features that distinguish the rich from the poor, the outstand clothes between that women are the country-woman (lavradeira), the woman reaper (ceifeira), steward (mordoma) and the bride (noiva).
Some women from Minho used to have much gold, like the bride and the country-woman. One of the symbols of this region is the Lenço do Amor ou dos Namorados that was used by the steward (mordoma) and the bride.
Also in the same region there are os Pauliteiros de Miranda, they are very different from the other groups, because it is formed only by man and their clothes are very special. They wear a white shirt and skirt with rifles and laces and a black jacket with colourful bands. In dances they use two sticks (palotes) and their symbol is a Capa de Honra, that was used by people from high society.
More close to the centre of Portugal is Nazaré. This region is frequently associated with the sea, and fishery. The fishermen are normally shoeless, but sometimes they have wooden-shoes. The well known symbol from Nazaré is the seven skirts (Nazarena das sete saias). They wear seven colourful skirts, and the myth say that it represents the seven days of the week, the rainbow’s seven colours and the meaning of seven in the bible.
Closer to the south is the Ribatejo. Its music is elegant and harmonious.
The richest men’s apparel is the ceremony clothes, that is formed with black trousers and jacket and a white shirt. To the weeding, the bride had to cover her head with a kerchief.
The well known dance from Ribatejo is the Fandango. This dance is charaterized to dance by a man and a woman and was considered a sedution dance.
The herdsman (campino) is the most known Ribatejo’s apparel. In the work he had wore a black jacket, with black trousers and a white shirt. The celebration clothes are the one that people recognize better and is formed by green breeches, red jacket and a white shirt too. These clothes are completed by a red band and a red and green cap.
The corridinho is considered the biggest expression of the Algarve’s popular dances. This music was danced in par ever making a circle. However this dance wasn’t only danced in the Algarve, it was also danced in Estremadura. In the Algarve there was also the water-man (aguadeiro), the shepherd (pastor) and the woman-baker (padeira).
Portugal also has two archipelagos with different traditions. In Madeira’s Folklore there is the woman, seriguilha, and the vilão apparels. The female clothes are constituted by flax chemise, a red jacket and a skirt with vertical colourful stripes. On the head they wear the carapuça.
The seriguilha’s apparel is brown and is formed by trousers, a flax shirt, like the previous, a jacket and a cap. The Vilão’s clothes have shirt and trousers made of flax, a carapuça like women.
The symbol from Madeira is the Brinquinho. It is a tipical instrument, which has dolls made of wood wearing that traditional apparel, castanets and narrow ribbons. It is made around a cane and is moved by a person vertically. This is the regional instrument, however it is used only in the Bailinho, that now-a-days represent the popular Madeira dances.
Açores is constituted by nine islands, and all with some differences, however they also have some similarities, like some music, like Manjericão, Tirana, Sapateia, Pezinho and Chamarrita. They have also special shoes, albarcas, that are made of leather.