The traditions of the cork crib and the Madeiran Christmas tree are fulfilled again this year in the village of Cortelha, in the interior of the municipality of Loulé.
The crib, «a real work of art», made of cork and other materials from the Serra do Caldeirão, can be visited in Largo da Associação, until the 6th of January.
«After long weeks of arranging the best cork straws, carrying stones from the river to build the scene of Jesus' birth and collecting moss, the people of Cortelha are now proud to be able to show off their crib», he describes the Association of Friends of Cortelha.
In this representation of the birth of Jesus, cork is «the fundamental element, with the consequent sentimental charge inherent to it. As this is the main source of income for the inhabitants of the village, cork plays in this crib something much more important than a simple raw material: it transports the soul of the people of Cortelha».
On the 24th of December, Christmas Eve, the Cortelha Christmas Wood will be lit, which is basically a huge community bonfire, «an initiative that the people of Cortelha understood also adapted to the Serra do Caldeirão and that they intend to that it becomes a meeting point and passage for the inhabitants of this village».
«Despite the pandemic that we are going through, we still decided to build the crib again, as it is in the street and does not represent any danger of crowding, because our crib is already a symbol of Christmas in Serra do Caldeirão and will serve in part to cheer and cheer our inhabitants», summarized Rui Marcos, president of the Association of Friends of Cortelha.
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