Four o’clock. It sounds like a drunken beetle is behind the controls. It goes from heavenly songs to the thumping of techno, from hard to softer. I hope it is fun for those who are there. We can’t sleep because of it …
Not all village parties are the same
They’re back. During the Covid years, of course, it wasn’t allowed. We were free again in the summer, but naturally, there is some organization involved leading up to a village party. That part wasn’t possible because back then either no one was allowed to leave the house, or only 5 people were allowed to be together at a time, or people were terrified of catching Covid and dying from it.
Anyway, they’re back. You see posters hanging everywhere again with announcements that this coming weekend!!!! with!!!!! in!!!!! I know the venues, but not the names of the DJs and bands. When I arrive at the pastelaria – the bakery – there is suddenly a huge stage, a bar-like structure across the street, and the spindly eucalyptus tree is completely wrapped in colorful garlands.
Those were the ones from last night, by the way.
The whole summer festivities make perfect sense in an agrarian society. Once all the plowing, sowing, dredging ditches, and such is done, it is a matter of waiting for the harvest to grow. Then you actually don’t do much more than take a walk around to see if everything is going well. At least, if you did the groundwork properly.
When it comes to rice, you sometimes have to pump in some water, because rice is thirsty. For the rest, plenty of time to go do other things. Things that liven up human existence. And traditionally, that is song and dance. A pretty dress, a nice pour of trousers and a cardigan to go with it, and off we go! Throughout Portugal, there are “ranchos folclóricos” – dance groups that keep the music and dances of the past alive.
In the north, in Ponte de Lima, they do not only do this in real life; they also do it in bronze.
credits to: https://www.facebook.com/Ranchoscmsoure/photos and https://www.flickr.com/people/24021804@N02
We also have a Rancho Folclórico in Soure. An active one, too. They try to interest young people in it so that the tradition stays alive. The costumes, the traditional instruments, the gastronomia of course – good food and drink – the dance and the song – it is a living museum. Now, it is not *that* easy to get young people interested in it, because they often have other things to do.
Sitting with their phones right in front of their noses, for example. Very Important! Comparing each other on social media. Very Important! Most people find this sort of thing old-fashioned and would rather go to one of the many (free) open-air concerts, events, festivals or even village parties that take place in the summer. (Before you think I’m judging; we didn’t do anything else in our youth, just with different gear.)
Village parties have changed quite a bit over the years
We could hear that yesterday. At a distance of about 4 kilometers as the crow flies, I could sometimes literally hear it what and how when the next one was announced. Then I think: if I can hear it this well already, what must it be like over there? Surely that is above the pain threshold? Or is it just me?
We’ll hear it tonight.
Then we get Village Party Part Two
credits to: https://www.portobay.com/pt/blog-in-portobay/santos-populares-em-portugal
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(Disclaimer: I’m a bit tired of the keyword stuff and Google’s dictatorship. So here they are, and I’m also hoping for the cleverness of AI in this matter that it will still be found and read, but that I don’t have to force myself to use the right terms in the title and headings. #villageparties #tradmusic #ranchofolclorico )
We moved here in 2000 from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to the Termas-da-Azenha, Portugal. We started to rebuild one of portugals cultural heirlooms: Termas-da-Azenha, an old spa.You’ll find mosaics and paintings everywhere. Since Covid we rent the houses for a longer period of time, not as holiday houses anymore.
Each week a little blog about what is happening around us. An easy read. A few minutes in another world. A little about what it going on in Portugal. If you plan your holiday to Portugal, it might be a nice preparation.
In the weekend we publish it on Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.