Dia De Portugal: Day of Portugal Feast in New Bedford, Massachusetts

People lined the streets and sidewalks, and the fresh smell of sardines on a grill traveled the air. The only thing that could have been any better was the weather. Despite the weather which was cool, cloudy and damp the first two days, people from all cultures came out to celebrate the tenth annual feast in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Friday, June 9, at 6:00 PM kicked off the beginning of the 3 day festival known as "Day Of Portugal." New Bedford, with it's highest percentage rate of Portuguese's citizens in the nation has celebrated this feast for ten years. Each year the feast gets bigger, and the crowd increases, and an estimated 150,000 people are expected to attend the 3 day event. People have come from as far as Canada. According to SouthCoast Today, elected leaders from five Sao Miguel countries are expected to attend and set up a display of their own.

Dia de Portugal originated when Portugal was liberated by Spain. On June 10, 1580, Portugal's famous explorer and author of "Os Lusiades," Luis deCamoes died. His epic poem became a well known piece of literature. According to Wikipedia, Camoes was involved in a shipwreck and swam with one arm to save his epic poem. The day of his death was chosen as Portugal's day of independence.

Day Of Portugal is celebrated in other cities that have a high percentage of Portuguese people, but is celebrated by everyone, not just the Portuguese. Preparations for the feast start a week ahead of time. Businesses, Cafe's, Restaurants, and vendors construct booths for food and beverages, and 3 stages for music and dance. Flags and lights are strung from the poles. Amusement rides are assembles, and vendors begin to lay out their goods.

The feast which is 6 blocks long, begins on Sawyer Street at Brook's Pharmacy, where a "Peoples relation" booth is held, and travels down Acushnet Avenue, to The Monte Carlo Cafe, located between Deane and Coffin Avenue. The side streets are blocked off with wooden horses as parking is not available in the feast grounds itself, so groups of people can be seen walking to the feast.

"Our lady Of Angels Band" assembled in front of their club on Acushnet Ave. and paraded the full length of the feast. Vendors with their arts and crafts, some which were cultural lined the sides of the streets. Some vendors were selling tee shirts, hats, leather goods, jewelry, pottery, oriental novelties, balloons and toys for the children. There was something for everyone.

People were dancing outside to the music of bands playing on the stages. Food could be found everywhere. Hot dogs, french fries, fava beans, steak sandwiches, cacoila meat, chicken tenders, beef stew, grilled spareribs, cod fish cakes, lingucia and much more. People gathered outside on tables to dine, and drink.

The Octane Sport's Bar, located on Acushnet Avenue, had a wooden booth outside. Their staff dressed in colorful hula type skirts were serving a drink they call the "octane juice" which consisted of soco, Jack Daniel's, pineapple juice, sour mix and grenadine.The Monte Carlo Cafe, also on Acushnet Avenue set up tables and chairs outside of their bar to accommodate the customers. Many people were sitting outside enjoying the view and "People watching."

A stage set up near the Our lady of Angels Club, had numerous acts, including a young Portuguese singer Michelle Ferreira 16, The Our Lady of Angels Band, which began with the Portuguese national anthem followed by America's. Dominique Danielle together with Jat Dance, and Jermatic performed for a large crowd that filled the street, exciting the crowd with thier Hip-Hop act.

Sunday night, vendors and business owners began to disassemble their booths and pack away their merchandise. Day of Portugal was coming to an end. The crowds thinned out, and all that was left were the memories.

View my slideshow of Day Of Portugal

http://www.associatedcontent.com/slideshow/514/day_of_portugal.html

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal_Day
SouthCoast Today