Portuguese Kilts (Tras-Os-Montes)

[Jock Scot]

Well, I have learned something today! I had no idea about this and I hope that the Portuguese have less trouble in keeping their traditional attire from unhelpful adaptations than the Scots do!

[Cygnus]

So, I've been able to do a bit more research. The men in the above photos are known as pauliteiros (stick men), and are largely confined to Miranda do Douro in the Trás-os-Montes region. While the clothing is said to closely resemble the garb of the area's past warriors, it is now worn almost exclusively by those performing traditional dances which incorporate wooden sticks that are beaten together in complex rhythmic patterns to add visual appeal as well as a percussive element to the music and dance. The dances and elements of the traditional garb are almost certainly carry-overs from early Celtic times.

The patterns of the "shawls" (that's the direct translation for what they call the colorful cloth hanging down their fronts and the sides of their kilts) don't appear to have any sort of significance and are selected based solely on their visual appeal to the wearer.

I have been unable, thus far, to find anything related to tartan kilts in the region (aside from the very ancient use and recent adoption of the Galicia National tartan already posted by tripleblessed), but I will continue to search.

[Liam]

Well, I have learned something today! I had no idea about this and I hope that the Portuguese have less trouble in keeping their traditional attire from unhelpful adaptations than the Scots do!

Could be because they appear to have kept it only as an historical costume, not a modern piece of clothing that continues to evolve with other fashion trends.