The Women of Nazare

Nazaré, two hours' drive north of Lisbon on Portugal's Atlantic coast, is famous for its women who wear skirts with seven petticoats (one for each day, for the seven colors of the rainbow, or…make up your own legend). While this tradition helps stoke the town's tourist trade, it's also just the way people live here.
In the old days, women would sit on the beach waiting for their fishermen to sail home. To keep warm in the face of a cold sea wind while staying modestly covered, they'd wear several petticoats in order to fold layers around their backs and legs. Even today, older and more traditional women wear short skirts made bulky by several — but not seven — petticoats. The ensemble is completed with house slippers, an apron (embroidered by the wearer), a small woolen cape, head scarf, and flamboyant jewelry including chunky gold earrings (often passed down from generation to generation). It gives the town an exotic, time-passed feel.