The locality of Fernão Joanes, in the municipality of Guarda, will hold the Transhumance Festival this weekend. The event includes a walk with a thousand sheep along the roads of the region.
Transhumance is a centuries-old tradition that involves the periodic movement of flocks between pastures at different altitudes, traditionally between the mountains of Beira Alta and the warmer lands of the inland Alentejo.
During the weekend, participants will be able to watch recreations of this traditional activity, which for centuries marked the economic and social life of rural communities in Beira Alta.
The Transhumance Festival therefore aims to preserve and promote this tradition, showing visitors how people lived and worked in the villages of the region when shepherding was one of the main economic activities.
