Festival of the Serra da Estrela DOP Lamb

The Festival do Borrego Serra da Estrela DOP takes place in Carrapichana, a parish in the municipality of Celorico da Beira, and is organised by the Celorico da Beira Municipal Council in partnership with Estrelacoop and the Parish Council of Carrapichana. It was born with the purpose of showcasing the gastronomy and traditions surrounding the Borrego Serra da Estrela DOP, a product deeply linked to sheep farming in this region of the Serra da Estrela. Throughout the event, the village fills with activities that highlight the cultural and economic significance of shepherding: gastronomy, traditional music, a crafts fair, traditional games and a lamb auction, a moment that reinforces the importance of the flock and its products to local life. Carrapichana is a small parish that, until 1855, was part of the now-defunct municipality of Linhares, and holds a rich tradition, with legends about the origin of its name and the memory of an episode from the Napoleonic invasions. In religious matters, it celebrates the feast of Saint Eufémia, maintaining practices such as vespers, the rosary and the Eucharist.

Tucked into the folds of Beira, Carrapichana is a mountain village that preserves the memory of a pastoral Portugal, where time is measured by the pace of the sheep and the light that descends from the Serra da Estrela. A land of shepherds, farmers and livestock and cheese traders, it has honoured its identity and kept the arts of the countryside alive, passed down from parents to children. At the table, Borrego Serra da Estrela holds pride of place, raised on high-altitude pastures, alongside buttery cheese, mountain potatoes and local olive oil. A short distance away stands Celorico da Beira, with its lofty castle, in a territory of stone and history that captivates all who visit the village. Small on the map, great in spirit, Carrapichana invites you to slow down and savour the very best the mountains have to offer.