Mirandese people

The first instance of Latin presence in Iberia was with its conquering by the Romans, substituting the language of the region and the people (partially), for Latin and Romans respectively.

After the collapse of the Roman empire, Iberia was ruled by Germanic Post-Roman kingdoms, and Tierra de Miranda sat at the border between the Suebi and the Visigoths for much of the existence of both.

In the 8th century A.C., the Ummayads started raiding the coastal areas under Visigothic control, which years later led to the almost complete occupation of the Iberian peninsula by the Moors, leaving out the Kingdom of Asturias to the northwest.

The Reconquista originated the Kingdom of Leon, the only kingdom in history to have an Asturleonese language as its major language in its earlier phases, Old Leonese. But, after the union with the Kingdom of Castile and the independence of Portugal, Old Leonese, started falling in disuse, alongside other minority languages. In the specific case of the Mirandese, they were isolated from the other Asturleonese peoples by the Luso-Hispanic border in the 12th century.

After that, Portugal kept having possession over Miranda and kept influencing the Mirandese language and people until today.

Mirandese culture sets the region apart from the rest of the Trás-Os-Montes region in Portugal, following suit with other Asturleonese cultures, especially its closest neighbour, Leon.

The Dançadores

The Dançadores^[5] [dãs̻aˈðoɾəs̺] or Beiladores, ‘Dancers’ (commonly known as Pauliteiros by the Portuguese, from the word pau, meaning stick), are a group of traditional Mirandese dancers that do their choreographies with a type of stick, also often involving acrobatics and castanets. The Leonese also have a variety of dances done with sticks, known as danzas de paloteo, but, unlike the Mirandese dançadores, their Leonese counterparts have greatly lost presence in Leon, while remaining very popular in Miranda.^[6]

Mirandese Bagpipe

Main article: Gaita transmontana

The Mirandese bagpipe, 'Gaita Mirandesa', is a bagpipe unique to Tierra de Miranda, sister to the Leonese and Asturian bagpipes, especially the Senabrese Gaita. Despite being called “Gaita Transmontana” by outsiders, recalling to the Trás-os-Montes region in Portugal, that includes Miranda, this terminology is inaccurate.

Pendones

The Pendones [pə̃ˈdonəs̺] are a medieval Leonese tradition, recalling to the kingdom of Leon, that is today only practiced in Miranda and the modern region of Leon. There are various styles and shapes for Pendones, that usually vary from settlement to settlement, but most of them are red and green, with many including white or blue. They’re similar to flags, being hung on a pole and flown to the force of the wind, but bigger than the average flag. They’re carried by people that usually walk together on a march, carrying the Pendones by the pole. They are usually used on said marches during the time of April in both Miranda and Leon.

Capa d’Honras

The Capa d’Honras [ˈkapa ˈdõras̺], ‘Cloak of Honours’, is a cloak traditionally used by shepherds in colder times of year, but has since evolved to be used in formal occasions in Tierra de Miranda, traditional holidays, religious celebrations and meetings with people of high status. Traditionally made from pardo (a coarse woolen cloth) and historically produced through a local, largely self-sufficient process. In the past, clients often supplied their own wool, reflecting a rural agro-pastoral economy, while tailors were hired on a daily basis to assemble the garment. Production was labour-intensive, sometimes taking many days, and allowed for personalisation through decorative patterns. Although once widespread across Miranda, Aliste, Tábara and Alba, the craft has declined due to changing lifestyles, with only a few artisans continuing to manufacture them, in only three Mirandese settlements, mainly the more ornate ceremonial versions today. Even if it is only currently produced in the east of Miranda, it is still commonly used for ceremonial purposes in all the aforementioned regions.^[7]

Mirandese traditional gastronomy makes much use of the ingredients of the region, having a varied number of original dishes ranging from meat to vegetables to desserts. Such as:

The Bolha Doce ‘Sweet Bread Roll’, known as “Bola Doce Mirandesa” ‘Mirandese Sweet Bread Roll’ in other regions of Iberia, is a Mirandese dessert, it is cake-like, coated with sugar on top and usually with some sort of alcohol put into it, traditionally rum.^[12][13]

The Tabafeia ‘Garlic Sausage’ is a sort of Mirandese garlic sausage exclusive to Miranda, it’s merely named garlic sausage because the Mirandese term is different from the Portuguese term “Alheira”, so when Portuguese speakers refer to Tabafeia, they call it “Alheira Mirandesa” ‘Mirandese Garlic Sausage’.^[13]

The Puosta Mirandesa is a sort of meat dish, usually veal meat, that is eaten with other ingredients and is a full meal. Veal meat is common all throughout the Iberian Peninsula, but the mirandese recipe is infamous throughout Iberia, especially in other regions of Portugal.^[13]

The Anchidos are common in northwestern Iberia, with some unique touches in each subregion. It’s a sort of meat dish similar to the Tabafeia.^[13]

The Mirandese are known for their unique language, the Mirandese language, a variety of the Asturleonese continuum, no longer spoken in all of Tierra de Miranda due to Portuguese influence, being preserved only in its eastern regions, in Miranda de l Douro and Bumioso. The language has around 3500 native speakers. It is divided in three varieties, Central, Sendinese and Raiano. Central being the standard dialect, Sendinese currently only being spoken in one village, Sendin, with various pronunciation quirks, and Raiano being spoken in 5 villages, being the most unstable variety.

The Mirandese are native to the Tierra de Miranda, a geographical region in Eastern Trás-os-Montes, in Portugal. It’s composed of the municipalities of Miranda de l Douro, Bumioso, most of Mogadouro, part of Bragança (Bergáncia in Mirandese) and part of Freixo de Espada à Cinta (Frezno de Spada a la Cinta in Mirandese). Asturleonese varieties were spoken in this whole region and likely beyond, this being due to the fact that this broad region was conquered and populated by the Diocese of Astorga, an Asturleonese diocese, not the Archdiocese of Braga. Yet, throughout history, Asturleonese presence in Miranda has been reduced to Miranda de l Douro and three villages in Bumioso.