Directions Papeiros and rabudos (Legend)
For centuries, at the beginning and end of the harvest season, these phrases were shouted from one shore of the river to the other.
The residents of Chantada, Taboada, and Carballedo would begin by shouting “Hey rabudoooos!”, and in response, from Pantón and O Saviñao they would hear “Hey papeiroooos!”. This was a form of playful dialogue that, as we have been told, arose in relation to the Jewish communities in the area. References to the Rabbi became “Rabudo”, while references to the Pope, associated with the Catholic residents, became “Papeiro”.
Nevertheless, we are still convinced by another version of the story, where the rabudos and papeiros are a sort of flying elves, who carry away human voices in their sacks, to later leave them scattered among the vineyards. The voices tell stories to the bunches of grapes, so that when you drink wine from Ribeira Sacra, you also drink a story, and when the grapes are harvested, tales and legends are harvested too...
Adapted from a text by Anxo Moure.