Popular marches come back to animate the Calçadão de Quarteira, in honor of the Popular Saints, on the 13th, 23rd and 28th of June. In the 2014 edition of the traditional June festivities, hundreds of extras are expected, who will parade, dressed to the nines, with unique choreographies inspired by themes such as the sea, fishing activity and the traditions of the Popular Saints.
Eight marches will go out into the street: The Children's March of the António Aleixo Foundation; the “Florinhas de Quarteira”, with young people from that locality; the “Vasco da Gama” march: that of Rua Gago Coutinho; the March of Rua do Outeiro; the Poet Sparrow group; the Vilamoura march; and the March of Rua do Cabide».
Alongside this parade, the city of Quarteira hosts festivals and dances during these days, where snacks such as grilled sardines and caldo verde are not lacking, and lots of entertainment. Also present will be the symbols of the Popular Saints – Santos António, João and Pedro – such as arches, basil, bonfires, balloons, artichokes or leeks.
«Over the years, the Popular Saints of Quarteira have become one of the main tourist attractions in the city of Quarteira and the Municipality of Loulé, attracting many tourists. But this event is also a demonstration of the parochialism that is deeply rooted in the spirit and soul of all people from Quartieri», illustrates the Câmara de Loulé.
About the participating marches:
The António Aleixo Foundation March, made up of children, invites the public to watch, on the beautiful Portuguese sidewalk, “To the memories of my childhood” and will recall the toys of the past and the traditional games that are an integral part of our identity.
Florinhas de Quarteira, a parish group founded 28 years ago, which includes girls and young girls, brings to the parade the theme “Quarteira com Alma de Artista” and the talent of the people of this land.
“O Encontro dos Jardins” is the theme presented by Marcha Vasco da Gama, dedicated to love and nature. This group has 23 years of existence.
Another emblematic march is Rua Gago Coutinho, which this year brings a parade “Quarteira Rainha do Atlântico”, an allusion to the connection of the Quarteira community to the sea. “Quarteira, a city that was once discovered, made a pearl of an ocean that bathes it and gives it color, with a sea blue mantle and a golden carpet that gives it unique characteristics in our country”.
Founded in 1992, the Rua do Outeiro March started its participation in the Popular Saints festivities, transmitting in a very strong way its popular and parochial spirit. This year, it presents “Quarteira ao Luar” in a parade with 56 elements .
The Poeta Pardal group marches for the third time on the Calçadão de Quarteira, with about 55 marchers aged between 10 and 50 years. The March presents the theme “Gaivotas, o Poeta Pescador”, in homage to an enigmatic bird, always present on the Portuguese sea coast, which accompanies the great navigators in their discoveries, present in the imagination of poets and in the voice of fado singers. But this will also be a tribute to the fisherman poet from Quarteira, Manuel de Brito Pardal.
The Vilamoura March in the 2014 edition of Santos Populares has as its theme the “Feira Popular de Quarteira”, a tribute to something that was lost in the city but that is present in the community's memory.
Finally, the Rua da Cabine March, a local neighborhood group that began participating in the event in 1993, remembers and pays homage to the two great Portuguese symbols – “Amália and Eusébio” – two individuals who took the Portuguese language and our flag beyond -borders and raised the name of Portugal.
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