The ethnographic parade “O Caminho dos Reis Magos”, promoted by the Câmara de Lagoa in partnership with the Rancho Folclorico do Calvário, will bring the songs of yesteryear, to praise the birth of the Child, to the streets of the city of Lagoa, on the 9th. of January.
Included in the Cidade do Vinho 2016 Activities Program, the parade begins at 15 pm, at Largo do Auditório Municipal, with the departure of the three Reis Magos on horseback and the Grupos de Cantares, who, in procession, will continue to Largo 5 de October, to offer gifts to the Child.
Then, the Groups will sing the traditional songs of Boas Festas and Reis – better known as Janeiras – in the bandstand in that Largo.
The celebrations will end around 20 pm, with a cocktail reception, where traditional seasonal sweets, cheeses, sausages and regional wines will be served.
The Three Kings Day – January 6th – according to Christian tradition, is the one on which the newborn Jesus Christ received the visit of the Three Magi, which the tradition that emerged in the XNUMXth century converted into the saints Belchior, Gaspar and Balthazar. On this date, the Christmas festivities come to an end for Catholics, the cribs being disarmed and all decorations removed.
In Portugal, traditionally, between Christmas and Twelve Days, the Bolo Rei, popularized in the 1870th century, is consumed from a recipe originating in the south of Loire. The first record of sale of this cake in Lisbon was in 1890 and in Porto in XNUMX, having run the risk of ending when the Republic was proclaimed, as it was the “King” Cake, which did not happen.
Another tradition linked to this square – Cantar as Janeiras – is maintained by groups of people singing traditional songs in the streets, announcing the birth of Jesus and wishing a happy New Year. They go from door to door, hoping that, after singing, the residents will offer them the janeiras (usually seasonal food products) that they share among themselves.
Comments