“The registration dates were announced two weeks before the start so participants had time to prepare, and because we knew from past years there would be high demand. Registrations closed two days after opening as we reached a thousand entries,” stated Manuel Vitorino, president of VianaFestas, in a press release.
The registration for the iconic Romaria d’Agonia event began on the 16th and was supposed to end on the 30th. However, due to reaching the target number, registrations closed on Wednesday.
Manuel Vitorino, also the Culture councilor in Viana do Castelo, acknowledged that “not all women who wished to register managed to do so” and explained that accepting an unlimited number of entries is not feasible.
“One of our concerns is the organization conditions of the Parade in the gardens of the former Civil Government and the safety of all the [mordomas],” he emphasized.
Data released today by the event organizers indicates that “nearly 80% of the thousand women registered for the Desfile da Mordomia are from the Viana do Castelo district, but this year the Romaria d’Agonia also received a record number of 118 registrations from other districts and 80 from abroad, from countries such as Brazil and the United States.”
“Preliminary data from the registration process, conducted from June 16 to 18 via an online platform, reveals that the youngest participant in the 2025 Desfile da Mordomia will turn 14 in December, with the most common age among registrants being 17 years,” the note mentions.
The process “still involves the validation of registrations according to the previously established criteria, particularly in terms of attire and adornment, with one of the mordomas set to parade this year having turned 85 in February.”
“From the Viana do Castelo municipality, 707 women and young people registered—784 from the district—followed by 69 from the neighboring district of Braga, and 36 from Lisbon,” it details.
Participants from Viana do Castelo came from all its parishes, with the city leading with 248, followed by the Union of Parishes of Geraz Lima and Deão (72), Areosa (45), Carreço (33), Santa Marta de Portuzelo (32), Darque (29), Alvarães (28), Afife (22), Vila Franca (21), and the Union of Parishes of Cardielos and Serreleis (21).
From abroad, “registrations were received from 10 countries, including France (35 participants), Brazil (22), Luxembourg (11), and the United States (three), as well as Canada (two), the Netherlands (two), Germany (two), Andorra (one), the United Kingdom (one), and Ukraine (one).”
The next phase of this process, already underway, is the validation of all registrations according to the dressing and adornment rules.
“Hardly anyone is left out, as this is also an educational process, so when a registration does not comply, the organization contacts, explains what needs correction, and requests it,” stressed the president of VianaFestas.
In 2025, the traditional Ribeira Lima Vianesa (Red) and Morgada/Ceremony attire, along with the black Mordoma with vest and palmito, represented the highest number of registrations for the Desfile da Mordomia, scheduled for August 14.
The Romaria D’Agonia will take place from August 12 to 20, concluding on the feast day of the patron saint, a municipal holiday.
