The regional folk group of the peasant women from Carreço started its activity in 1923 becoming the oldest folk group in Portugal. It is a cultural association with public interest which preserves and presents traditions and habits that belong to the people of Carreço and Viana do Castelo.

Ever since it started its activity this association has always found in youngsters the same reasons which their grandparents had to continue to express through folk dance the emotions of past generations and universal joy and fellowship.

Carlos Peixoto Freitas Sampaio, who was an excellent dancer, organised, over seventy years ago, a group of young people to dance and cheer up the parties and pilgrimages of that region. He immediately had the support of the local priest Domingos Afonso do Paço.

Some years later with the support of the ethnographer Abel Viana this group was given the name " Rancho Regional das Lavradeiras de Carreço" (although we shouldn't translate, we tried it in order to try to make the reader understand the ethnic dimension which is present not only in the lyrics, dances, vestments but also in the name: Regional folk group of the peasant women from Carreço) and became the first folk group in Portugal. It is still the guardian of the traditional dances and songs of the historic region of Santa Maria de Carreço.

In the repertoire of traditional dances we can enhance: Senhor da serra, Chula, Gota, Rusga, Tirana, Velho, Preto, Pai do ladrão, Cana verde, Redonda, Verde gaio, Rosinha, Carreço por ser Carreço and Vira, all of them with spectacular choreographies.

In what concerns the vestments, we must refer that each one of them had a specific function. Their richness depended on the economic situation of those who wore them. The female vestments which are more popular are:

"Peasant woman's vestment",
"Mourning vestment", "Harvest woman's vestment", "Sunday's best / traditional vestment", "Sunday's best / Market's vestment" and from the region of Viana do castelo the "Bride's vestment" and the ""Mordoma"'s vestment". The male vestments which are more popular are: "Sunday's best", " "Mordomo"'s vestment", " Tiller's vestment", and " working man's vestment".

The musical instruments used also reveal the roots and heritage from the past. During the first performances there was only one harmonica, then, they started to play concertinas, guitars, small guitars, the triangle and later the accordion. There is a percussion instrument which is unique that is made of scallop shells that is used to determine the song's rhythm.

During the the seventy years of existence of this folk group many were the singers and dancers who made the continuity of this association possible. We would like to give thanks to them, their sacrifices, devotion and artistic personality which allowed them to join this group even after long hard working days.

We must, again, enhance the name of the man who made all of this possible: Carlos Peixoto de Freitas Sampaio, his daughter Teresa de Freitas Sampaio and his grandson Carlos Silvano Freitas Sampaio, the present director of this group.
We chose to mention only some of the aspects which make this group special not only to the regions of Carreço and Viana do Castelo, but to everyone. This folk group carries with its dancers, singers, vestments and musical instruments a part of the tradition, history, culture and pride of the people from Carreço. They carry it not only to the rest of the Portuguese people (from North to South including Madeira and Azores), but also to people from other countries such as: Spain, France and Brazil.
This folk group is the establisher associate of the Portuguese federation of folk groups and also of the Association of folk groups from Minho and is part of the INATEL, IPJ and RNA.