Festivities of the Lord of Matosinhos start today

The first day of the Festa Senhor de Matosinhos begins with the opening of the 19th edition of FAMA – Matosinhos Crafts Fair, at 4pm, on Avenida D. Afonso Henriques.

Until June 2nd, dozens of artisans will showcase the best they do in Portugal.

Basketry, straws, furs, tapestries, wire work, jewelry, paintings on canvas and fabric, filigrees, decorative candles, artisanal perfumes, salt cosmetics, soap, creams and bath salts, puppets, puppets and traditional toys are just a few of the items that can be seen in the installed displays, but also traditional sweets, cheeses and sausages.

FAMA can be visited, from Monday to Thursday, from 4:00 pm to 11:00 pm, on Friday and the day before a holiday, from 4:00 pm to midnight, on Saturday and on public holidays, from 2:00 pm to midnight, and on Sunday, from 2:00 pm at 11 p.m. On June 2nd, the last day of the pilgrimage, the opening hours will be from 2pm to 8pm.

Also today, but at 7pm, the Marcha dos Bonecos takes to the streets, a puppet parade based on Fogo dos Bonecos, a tradition of the Lord of Matosinhos festivals, which represents local arts and crafts, and the clay figures so present at the Crockery Fair which has been held since the 18th century.

Created by Jorge Louraço Figueira, artistic director of the Municipal Theater of Matosinhos Constantino Nery, the Marcha dos Bonecos is inspired by Mirandese records, the Bonecos de Santo Aleixo and the texts of Mistério Bufo (by Dario Fo).

The procession is led by a donkey carrying an image of Jesus Christ, evoking the legend of the choice of the place where the sanctuary that would house the image of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos was built, and is accompanied by seven gigantones that represent the seven deadly sins. , 18 fire puppets and six masks.

Composed of 48 participants, including eight professional actors, six professional musicians and 34 members from Rancho Típico da Amorosa, Aurora da Liberdade and Orfeão de Matosinhos, the puppet procession will travel through the festival grounds, starting its route next to the Building of the Paços do Concelho and ending in the churchyard of the Igreja do Bom Jesus de Matosinhos, with a scene of social satire, which reveals the secrets of the construction of fire puppets.

The Marcha dos Bonecos will also have sessions tomorrow and Sunday, always at 7pm.

Later in the evening, at 9pm, the highlight will also be the inauguration of the decorative lighting.

Tomorrow, at 4pm, the exhibition “Between fishing and weaving lines”, by artist Conceição Abreu, opens to the public, open until July 13th at the Florbela Espanca Municipal Library Gallery.

Conceição Abreu’s drawing, painting and installation exhibition can be seen from Monday to Friday, from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, and on Saturday, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and from 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm.

On Sunday, the program includes the Choir Meeting of the CCD- Centro Cultural e Desportivo Pessoal do Município de Matosinhos, in the Salão Nobre of Paços do Concelho, at 3pm, the Folklore Festival, on the festival stage, at 3:30pm, and an edition special from the program “Aqui Portugal”, from RTP, in the gardens of the Florbela Espanca Municipal Library from 4:30 pm.

But there is much more to see and hear on the first weekend of the City Festivities. See the entire program at https://www.cm-matosinhos.pt/servicos/cultura/senhor-de-matosinhos