Contact: Lew White
leww@amerazor.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Easter Sunday Sparks Summer of Celebrations
Over twenty southern New England groups host festivities.
Falmouth, MA March 24, 2013 - This summer, hundreds of thousands of people across southern New england will celebrate Holy Ghost Feasts, enjoying authentic Portuguese food, music, dancing, and sopas — a unique meal of meat, spices, herbs, onions, cabbage, broth, and Portuguese bread — offered free to all who attend.
Easter is the beginning of the seven weeks of Domingas, when members of these societies celebrate the Holy Ghost in their homes, culminating with the first feasts on Pentecost Sunday. On weekends from then until Labor Day, as in the Azores Islands, dozens of groups across southern New England will host feasts in their area.
Local author Lew White describes this seven century old religious folk tradition in his book “Sopas - a brief history of Portuguese islanders, the Cape Cod town of Falmouth, and the Feast of the Holy Ghost.” He tells the story of how the feast originated in Portugal, was brought to America in the nineteenth century, and how it is celebrated today by two groups in Falmouth, one in Santuit, and also in the Azores. Other organizations throughout America have similar stories.
Holy Ghost feasts are not only a continuing seven century religious folk tradition, they are also a gift to the entire community. All are welcome and encouraged to experience the festivities, partake of the free sopas meal, and also to enjoy the pageantry of the procession bringing the Holy Ghost crown to the Church, the crowning at a Mass, and arrival of the crown at the festival grounds.
This year the first feasts begin May 18-19 in Falmouth, Lowell, Peabody, Somerville, and, in Rhode Island, East Providence and Bristol. Hudson’s Imperio Micaelense and Newport’s Jesus Saviour Church host theirs the weekend of May 26 (Trinity Sunday). To avoid conflict with worldwide Day of Portugal celebrations, festas are not scheduled for the early part of June. Feasts resume the weekend of June 15-16 in Santuit and Bridgewater; Falmouth’s Irmandade do Divino Espirito Santo June 22-23; and Hudson’s Imperio Mariense June 29-30.
In July the first feast is Saugus’ Imperio Mariense July 6-7, followed by feasts on July 13-14 in East Taunton, Westport, and East Taunton (Theofilo Braga Club); on July 20-21 in Martha’s Vineyard and East Providence (Holy Ghost Brotherhood of Charity); and on July 27-28 in East Providence (Holy Ghost Brothood Mariense).
The largest Portuguese feast in the world — though technically not a Holy Ghost feast — is The Feast of the Blessed Sacrament in New Bedford Aug 1-4. The largest Holy Ghost feast, in the past attended by both the President of the Azores and the Governor of Massachusetts, is The Great Feast of the Holy Ghost of New England in Fall River August 22-25. Holy Ghost feasts end on labor day weekend with the celebrations in West Warwick, RI and Stonington, CT.
Before each feast ends, preparations begin for next year: members honored to host next years Domingas are selected, as is the Mordemo who typically organizes it.
Current information on Holy Ghost feasts, including contact links and other information about the groups sponsoring these celebrations, is maintained on the web site www.amerazor.com.
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Please call Lew White or the local hosting group (see author’s web site) directly for additional information or to arrange an interview.
