Place

Museo Galego do Entroido (MUGAE), in the former Praza de Abastos of Xinzo

The Museo Galego do Entroido (MUGAE) occupies the former Praza de Abastos of Xinzo de Limia, opened in 2015, closed in 2017 and reopened in February 2019 under the Provincial Council; it shows the Entroido and "Os mundos de Carlos Casares".

The Museo Galego do Entroido (MUGAE) is in the former Praza de Abastos (covered market) of Xinzo de Limia, refurbished for this purpose. It brings together and preserves the distinctive character of the Entroido of Galicia in general and of the villages of Xinzo in particular ^[1].

History of the building and the museum

The idea of reusing the Praza de Abastos building as an Entroido Museum goes back to 1997, when Carlos Gómez was Culture councillor: they took the project to the Culture delegate in Ourense and conditioning works on the ground floor were done with European funds, but the project stopped there. All the groups (PP, PSOE and BNG) later passed through the town government without relaunching it ^[2]. According to Wikipedia, it was inaugurated on 23 October 2015 by the president of the Xunta, Alberto Núñez Feijóo; in 2017 it closed its doors because the Town Council could not manage it and, after handing management to the Ourense Provincial Council, it reopened in February 2019 ^[1]. When it was decided to activate it, the Town Council had a grant of €150,000 (the news item, undated in the surviving copy, says the project had been under way for 15 years, so it would be around 2012) to enlarge the exhibition hall so that it could host large-format works ^[2].

What can be seen

It has two permanent exhibitions and the headquarters of the A Pantalla Association ^[1].

The Entroido (first floor)

Reception: a large board explains what the Entroido is, its history and its symbol.
Corridor of the Entroido cycle: the rites and celebrations, including the weekends before and after: Fareleiro, Oleiro, Compadres and Comadres, Corredoiro, Entroido, Ash Wednesday and Piñata.
The sounds of the Entroido: the traditional sounds (cowbells, jingles, traditional ensembles and humorous songs) and modern ones (brass bands, troupes, modern music).
Peculiar characters and gastronomy: cabezudos (big-heads), capuchos, mecos, gargoyles, madamas and galáns, the parrot Ravachol, the merdeiro or escabicheiro, the felipeiro, the cabreiro, the bear of Salcedo, the careto and Fray Canedo; and typical Entroido food (cocido, lacón with turnip greens, filloas, roscas, bica and orellas).
Queens of the Entroido: the central room, with the costumes of Galicia’s best-known characters: the Felo of Maceda, the Boteiro of Viana do Bolo, the Vergalleiro of Sarreaus, the Vellarrón of Riós, the Mázcara of Manzaneda, the Peliqueiro of Laza, the Cigarrón of Verín, the Labardeiro of Mugares, the Troteiro of Bande, the Bonita of Sande, the General of the Ulla, the Volante of Chantada and the Pantalla of Xinzo de Limia ^[1].

Os mundos de Carlos Casares

An exhibition celebrating the life and work of the Limia writer Carlos Casares through his travels and the people he met ^[1]. See Carlos Casares.

Management by the Provincial Council (2019)

On 19 February 2019 the president of the Ourense Provincial Council, Manuel Baltar, and the mayor of Xinzo de Limia, Manuel Cabas, signed the agreement transferring the premises by which the Provincial Council takes over management of the Museo Galego do Entroido as a supra-municipal public cultural service, with regular opening in morning and afternoon sessions. An Advisory Council of the museum was created, including the Town Council, the A Pantalla association and the Ourense bodies with a special rooting in the entroido, and an agreement was signed with the president of A Pantalla, Carlos Valle, giving it a space in the museum and the management of its monographic collection, deposited there. At the same event the 2019 provincial programme of entroidos was presented, with more than 300 activities in 34 concellos over 18 days ^[7].