“Guia Natal” promises to bring thousands of people to the small town of Guia. The event, which started last weekend, runs until the 6th of January with a lot of entertainment. The exhibition “Nativity Scenes of the World”, a Christmas Market and a Street Nativity Scene are more than enough reasons to bring the family together around an initiative that promises to feature in the main animation itineraries for this time of year.
Meanwhile, in Albufeira, the Christmas lighting and the 25-metre tree, installed in Praça dos Pescadores, lend light and magic to the city, inviting people to go for a walk and buy gifts in traditional stores.
This is the first year that the parish of Guia hosts a Christmas program which, right on the first weekend, is already proving to be a success with hundreds of people passing through the town to visit the exhibition “Nativity Scenes of the World”, the Mercado de Natal and the Street Nativity Scene that tells the story of the Nativity.
At the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Guia, there is a display of cribs, made up of 30 works donated by embassies, consulates and private citizens with the aim of divulging cribs from different parts of the world, with an emphasis on a Traditional Nativity Scene from the Algarve (collection by Rosário Silva e Sousa) and three cribs from the private collection of First Lady Maria Cavaco Silva.
On display, there are also pieces from countries such as Luxembourg, Belgium, Ecuador, Brazil, Paraguay and Africa, which testify that the tradition of the nativity scene is quite old and transversal to different places.
After viewing the exhibition, visitors can enjoy the extraordinary Street Nativity scene, made up of a set of large figures representing various historical scenes associated with the birth of Jesus: the Annunciation of the Angel to Mary, the Nativity, characters such as the King Herod and the Three Kings among other figures that usually populate the Christmas nativity scenes.
In total, the sculptor Toin Adams, a British artist residing in the Algarve for over a decade, presents 30 figures that extend over a considerable extension between the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Guia and the Igreja Matriz.
And of course, the hustle and bustle of the time could not be missing, with the Christmas Market located in Largo General Humberto Delgado, in the center of the village, inviting children and adults to the frenzy of buying gifts for family and friends.
About 50 exhibitors, including producers and local associations, compete to attract the attention of visitors with handicrafts, toys, trinkets, Christmas decorations, not to mention the region's rich cuisine.
All of this combined with a lot of entertainment, of which the highlight on Sunday was the live broadcast of the SIC program “Portugal em Festa”, from Guia's Christmas Market, which featured the performance of Filipa Sousa and Rancho Folclórica of Water Eyes.
Thinking about the little ones, an Atelier was created, at the entrance of the Market, where the animators of the Municipal Library Lídia Jorge promoted several activities: Workshops destined to the confection of Cup Cakes, creation of Christmas Cards, Treasure Hunt, Hora do Conto, among other initiatives that made the kids happy and that will be repeated next weekend.
There was also a train from Natal that allowed us to visit the space in a more relaxed and fun way.
In addition, there are guided visits to the exhibition “Nativity Scenes of the World” and to the Street Nativity Scene. Every day, between 15:00 pm and 18:00 pm, two interpreting guides will be at the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Guia, available to anyone who wants to learn a little more about the event. Visits take place every 30 minutes.
Until the end of “Guia Natal”, on January 6th, the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Guia and the Igreja Matriz will be open to the public, daily between 14:00 and 20:00, except on Christmas Day.
The Christmas Market is open daily, between 14 pm and 00, with local groups promising a lot of entertainment.
Next Saturday (December 5th), from 15 pm, it is possible to watch the performance of the following groups: Tuna Académica da UATI (Association of Friends of Albufeira), FUETE (Albufeira Dance Academy), Football Club Ballroom Dances de Ferreiras, SOUL Association, Dances of the Sports Youth Hall of Fontainhas and Rancho Folclórico de Albufeira.
On Sunday (December 6) the entertainment, which starts at the same time, is in charge of Ballet and Kids Dance (Sports and Cultural Academy of Praia da Falésia), the Philharmonic Band of the Sociedade Musical e Recreio Popular de Paderne, of the Luel com Ballroom Dances, by KIDS (Karen`s Studio International Dance Studio), by the CNE Group 714 – Albufeira with scout songs and by Guia Futebol Clube with oriental dances.
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