Os Batismos da Meia-Noite

The mountainous heart of Alto Minho, in northern Portugal, is a mystical landscape where centuries of isolation have shaped the beliefs of its inhabitants: incantations, spirit possession, witchcraft, exorcisms, portals, and countless forms of white magic used to ward off evil. Os Batismos da Meia-Noite (The Midnight Baptisms) sits between fantasy and ethnographic exploration, documenting beliefs that many still dismiss as folklore from a bygone era. The photographs are presented alongside personal accounts the author gathered during his ethnographic research in Alto Minho, together with diagrams of petroglyphs, wood engravings, mineral interventions, vernacular photographs and historical documents. At its heart lies the Serra da Peneda, a mountain where the forces of light and darkness have been locked in an eternal struggle since time immemorial.