Tradition of the Pilgrimage of the Ascension to Bussaco is fulfilled today

It was once a national holiday. Today marks Municipality Day in many municipalities in the country and several in the Bairrada region. The Pilgrimage of the Ascension to Bussaco is remembered with nostalgia by older people, but it is also a tradition maintained by younger people. It will be no exception for some members of the Folklore Ranch of São João, parish of Casal Comba, in the municipality of Mealhada, who will go on a pilgrimage from the town to Mata do Bussaco. The route culminates with a shared lunch at Portas de Coimbra, where the king of Mealhada delicacy – suckling pig – will not be missing from the snack.

You don’t have to go far for several people to describe Ascension Thursday, Holy Day of Obligation or Ear Day as something extraordinary, a day that was similar to Christmas or Easter, when people didn’t work. The meal was prepared – there was no shortage of cod pataniscas – which was later shared in Mata do Bussaco, a place where water from the spring was also sipped, to ward off bad things. There was a special railcar – called the «Ascension Train» -, which brought people (thousands) from close by, but also from far away, to Luso Station, and from there the Pilgrimage took place to Mata.

The choice of Bussaco is explained by the fact that for years it was a space of religious seclusion, where the Discalced Carmelites remained. After this period and with the Forest open to the population, the place was considered holy and people began to flock to the place, especially on Ascension Day. The students from Coimbra walked for six hours to also be in a space considered sacred on this day.

Completing the Pilgrimage, the masses on this day – as still happens, for example, in Vacariça – were used to bless the petals and branches of wheat, poppy, rosemary, olive tree and vine, which people took to the Churches, where, after being blessed, they were thrown into the “dry” fields and also, during the year, “burned” so that the thunder could be chased away. It is said that many people added a loaf of bread to the blessing, which would last a whole year without ever getting moldy.

«I remember my grandmother saying that, on this day, absolutely nothing was done, even cooking was done the day before», Isabel Costa, a member of Rancho de São João, one of the participants in the Pilgrimage, which today, May 9th, departed from Largo da Igreja de Casal Comba, at 9:00 am, towards Bussaco. «In our group there will be at least ten people, who will take one of the routes that pilgrims took in times past. We will be dressed, some with the typical baskets of meat, which will be tasted at Portas de Coimbra », she explains.

From Casal Comba, the group headed towards Póvoa da Mealhada, heading to Vacariça, where via the Quinta do Vale road they will reach Pego. It was in this location that, along a path through the forest, you will reach Portas de Coimbra, a total journey of around nine kilometers. «We sing and play and it’s always a lot of fun. This is what the path means, meeting people, but also being with us”, continues Isabel Costa, remembering that “this climb to the mountain is very linked to the sacred and religion. Mata do Bussaco was considered a sacred place, much appreciated after a year of hard work».

GEDEPA also considered the pilgrimage on foot with Rancho de São João, «but due to the impossibility of many elements, it will only go in the afternoon to be part of the cultural entertainment», João Pedro Marques, president of the board of directors of this Pampilhosa Group, told us. who recalled the last times he went on foot, around 40 years ago: «The younger ones were always at the front and right behind were the ladies with lunch, where there was no shortage of delicious chicken. The wicker baskets also contained bread and wine. It was truly a special day, always very lively with everyone singing. I remember that it was on this day that we always bought a little something at Bussaco. These are memories that remain recorded».

Text by Mónica Sofia Lopes

Photographs with Copyright Reserved