The Janeiras are once again sung from door to door in Serra do Caldeirão. To keep Christmas traditions alive, this Saturday, the 7th of January, the Group of Janeiras da Cortelha will tour this village in the interior of the municipality of Loulé, as well as other locations in the parish of Salir, singing and chanting the Janeiras songs allusive to the birth of Jesus and the arrival of the Magi.
«The “Janeiras de Porta em Porta” consist of the proclamation of singing to the Child and the Kings by a group of people, accompanied by traditional instruments, such as the accordion, tambourine and irons, at the door of the dwellings», explains the association.
The Janeiras «mean, for the people of Serra do Caldeirão, a treasure of traditions, bringing to mind this memory that had its beginning in the interior of the Algarve», he adds.
One of the objectives is «to keep this tradition alive» and, for that, some localities in the interior of the municipality of Loulé will be walked, from door to door, namely Cortelha, Barranco do Velho, Montes Novos, Salir, among others.
So, these days, the inhabitants of this area of Serra do Caldeirão are already used to it and wait for the Janeireiros da Cortelha to enter the backyard to hum the announcement of the birth of Jesus, as well as the coming of the Kings.
«In the end, a “joke” comes out of the mouth of a more daring element, as a way of asking or reminding the owner of the house that he should give the group a reward. It used to be like that and that's how the Grupo da Cortelha maintains the tradition».
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