Rancho Folclórico As Tricanas
| Founding Date | 1980 |
| Telephone | 905 928 4417 |
| rf_as_tricanas@outlook.com | |
| https://www.facebook.com/RF.As.tricanas/ | |
| https://www.instagram.com/rf_as_tricanas | |
| Youtube | https://www.youtube.com/@RanchoFolcloricoAsTricanas80/videos |
| TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@rf_as_tricanas |
Born in Toronto, New Chapter in Hamilton
Published on May 30, 2026
The story of Rancho Folclórico As Tricanas begins in Toronto in 1980, at a time when Portuguese folklore groups were becoming important cultural spaces for immigrant families trying to preserve their connection to Portugal. Many of these groups reflected the regions their founders came from, carrying dances, costumes, music, and memories into Canadian community life.
As Tricanas was created by parents who wanted to represent a region that was less visible among the Portuguese folklore groups of the time. According to Cristiano Matos, the group’s current president, many ranchos in the Toronto area were connected to the Minho province. As Tricanas was different. Its roots were in the Bairrada, the region between Aveiro and Coimbra, known for vineyards, wine, rural traditions, and a distinctive cultural identity.
From the beginning, the group carried a clear regional purpose. It was originally sponsored by Rancho Folclórico da Nazaré. Cristiano believes that Nazaré was chosen because it was the first folklore group formed in Canada, making it a natural symbolic partner for a new rancho representing the Beiras.
Over the years, As Tricanas became part of the Portuguese cultural landscape in Ontario. The group performed in Canada, in the United States, and in Portugal. Cristiano recalls seeing older videos of performances in Massachusetts and hearing stories of trips to Portugal where the group performed several times over the course of a week or two. These memories speak to a period when rancho groups were not only local community activities, but cultural ambassadors for the Portuguese diaspora.
For Cristiano Matos, the story of As Tricanas is also deeply personal. Folklore has been part of his family for generations. His great-grandfather had a rancho in Praia da Vagueira, in the Aveiro region, where he wrote music, created songs, and played instruments such as the cavaquinho. That family connection continued in Canada. Cristiano’s siblings, cousins, parents, and other relatives were involved with As Tricanas over several decades. His brothers, his cousins and later other family members all became part of the group’s history. Cristiano himself joined As Tricanas around 2005, along with his brother and father. His father played guitar, and later, when a veterans’ group was formed around 2011, his mother also began dancing. For Cristiano, the rancho is not simply an organization he leads. It is part of his family’s story, part of his inheritance, and part of the cultural language he now wants to pass on to his own children.
After the pandemic, the future of As Tricanas became uncertain. Like many cultural groups, the interruption caused by COVID weakened participation and placed the group at risk. In 2023, Cristiano was contacted by the president at the time and told that the rancho might have to close. He was offered the possibility of taking it over. Cristiano accepted immediately, but with one condition: the group would move from Toronto to Hamilton.
The move made practical sense. Cristiano and several family members were already rehearsing music connected to the Aveiro region in the basement of his parents’ home. He knew there were people in Hamilton and the surrounding area interested in dancing and participating. He reached out to family and future board members, including his cousin Marlene Mirassol, now vice-president, along with other relatives and supporters. The response was positive, and As Tricanas began a new chapter in Hamilton.
This move reflects a wider reality in the Portuguese community in Ontario. Portuguese cultural life is no longer concentrated only in the old Toronto neighbourhoods. Families have moved to Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Cambridge, London, and other communities. Associations, clubs, and cultural groups must adapt to where people now live. As Tricanas is one example of a tradition that survived by moving with the community.
Today, the group represents the Beira Litoral region, including Aveiro, Coimbra, and part of northern Leiria. This broader identity allows As Tricanas to include a wider range of costumes, dances, and traditions. Cristiano explains that the group includes the tricana of Aveiro, the tricana of Coimbra, work costumes, Sunday dress, the salineira, and the marnoto.
The costume of the marnoto holds special meaning for him. The marnoto is connected to the salt workers of the Aveiro region. Cristiano’s great-grandfather and grandfather worked in the salt fields, and his father also worked there at one point. For Cristiano, wearing that costume is therefore more than a representation of folklore. It is a connection to his own family history.
The tricana, which gives the group its name, also carries cultural meaning. Cristiano explains that the original tricana is associated with Coimbra, while the Aveiro version developed later. The tricana was often connected to Sunday dress and to women who carried water from the rivers. The Coimbra costume is often associated with brighter colours such as red, while the Aveiro tricana is marked more by black and white. Through these costumes, the group presents regional identity in a way that is visual, educational, and deeply connected to everyday life in Portugal.
As Tricanas currently has around 25 to 30 members and rehearses at St. Lawrence School in Hamilton. Its members come not only from Hamilton, but also from surrounding areas such as Brantford, Oakville, Stoney Creek, and other nearby communities. This regional reach shows that the group is becoming a gathering point for families beyond one city.
Cristiano’s vision as president is clear. He wants to show younger generations their roots. His own three children dance in the rancho, and he speaks with pride about teaching them traditions that were passed down through his own family. For him, folklore gives young people more than dance steps. It gives them friendship, identity, discipline, and a reason to feel proud of being Portuguese.
He also recognizes the challenges. Like many folklore groups, As Tricanas needs more boys and young men. The group is also looking for singers and musicians. At the moment, the music is not live, although the rancho had live music in the past. Cristiano himself plays accordion and cavaquinho, and hopes that with more dancers he may eventually be able to focus more on music. His hope is to rebuild the musical side of the rancho and bring live performance back to the group.
As Tricanas is also part of ACAPO, the Alliance of Portuguese Clubs and Associations of Ontario, and participates in Portugal Day celebrations and the annual parade. For the dancers, Cristiano says, Portugal Day is one of the most important moments of the year. It is a chance to represent their region, show their roots, and participate in one of the major public celebrations of Portuguese identity in Ontario.
One of Cristiano’s most emotional memories as president came during the group’s first Portugal Day performance after he took over. At that time, he was both president and instructor, carrying the pressure of leading the group through its new beginning. The performance included music and dance connected to his great-grandfather. When Cristiano later showed the video to his grandfather, who had helped teach him the lyrics and music, his grandfather cried. The moment connected generations: a great-grandfather’s music, a grandfather’s memory, a mother’s instruction, and a new generation dancing in Canada.
This is what folklore can do in the diaspora. It takes something that might otherwise remain in family memory and gives it public life. It allows a song, a costume, a dance, or a regional tradition to move from one generation to another. It gives children born in Canada a way to participate in the culture of their parents and grandparents, even when they are far from Portugal. The story of Rancho Folclórico As Tricanas is therefore about more than one group. It is about the effort required to preserve culture across distance. It is about parents who founded a rancho in Toronto in 1980, families who kept it alive for decades, and a new leadership team that refused to let it disappear after the pandemic.
It is also about the changing geography of the Portuguese community. A group born in Toronto now lives in Hamilton. Its members come from several surrounding cities. Its roots are in Aveiro, Coimbra, and the Beira Litoral, but its future depends on children and families in Canada who are willing to continue the work.
Cristiano Matos is clear about what the group needs. As Tricanas is looking for more members, especially boys and musicians, but also anyone interested in experiencing folklore. He encourages people from Hamilton, Stoney Creek, and surrounding areas to come and try. In his words, once people step into the rancho, they tend to love it and stay.
Rancho Folclórico As Tricanas has already lived several lives: its founding in Toronto, its early performances, its family traditions, its post-pandemic uncertainty, and now its renewal in Hamilton. Its story is one of continuity through change.
In the end, As Tricanas reminds us that Portuguese folklore in Canada is about preserving the past and giving the next generation a place to belong, a reason to be proud, and a living connection to Portugal.
| Click here to listen to the President, Cristiano Matos, speaking about the organization in the LusoCanada Podcast |
| Please contact us if you have stories or memories related to this organization |