Some callused hands intertwined the hard wicker to make a basket, others stretched the board to create the seat of a chair, others still held the hammer to break the almond shell or made small cuts with a razor in the dried fig, to place there the almond flaws and make stars.
One thousand and one trades and tasks that have almost fallen into disuse have returned to daylight during the initiative “Mexilhoeira Grande – Our culture goes out into the street”, promoted on Saturday, the 23rd, in the churchyard of the village, by the Museum of Portimão and by the local Parish Council.
In the square, you could smell the fresh mint that was being sold on one of the stalls, the children fresh from frying and sprinkling with sugar and cinnamon, or the cookies with fennel that were baked in the wood oven. To wet throats, there was craft beer, teas and refreshments, wine.
In the air, the music was from accordions and concertinas, from popular songs or even from the feet of the dancers from the Rancho Folclórico da Figueira, tapping their feet to the rhythm of the dances on the stage.
To comfort the stomach, there were baby porridges, a big pot of them, which disappeared in a flash, served by Rancho da Figueira. And there were also many traditional sweets, which came from the hands of the village's sweets, some of them already of a certain age.
And because the main restaurants and cafes in the land joined the party, there were “Comidinhas da Terra” with small plates of appetizers at a symbolic price.
At night, to close this day entirely dedicated to celebrating the popular culture of this rural area of the municipality of Portimão, there was leafleting…and more music to accompany.
The event, part of the European Heritage Days, was organized by the Museum of Portimão and the Parish Council of Mexilhoeira, with the partnership of local associations, such as Associação Grão de Areia, Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Mexilhoeira Grande, Society Recreativa Figueirense, the Instruction and Recreation Club Mexilhoeirense and A Rocha. It also had ACRAL and Rádio Alvor as partners.
As in previous years, this event had the support of the entire community, individuals and merchants, who got involved and participated, as well as a team of volunteers who actively contributed to the success of the initiative.
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues|Sul Informação and Filipe da Palma|CMP (the images of the leafless)
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