Spiritual Practice and History of Madeira

The feast of Saint Antonio de Abad is celebrated on January 17, the highlight of this feast being the blessing of animals – farm animals as well as pets.

Saint Antonio was a Catholic (Coptic) monk born in 3rd-century AD Egypt who was known for spreading monasticism, but is now most famous for being the first to practice the asceticism of going into the wilderness to renew one’s faith through nature. This is how he became associated with animals. (Odd side note: He is also the Saint to whom you appeal to get rid of skin diseases, i.e. “St. Anthony’s fire”!). (http://www.eventsloscabos.com/2013/feast-day-of-san-antonio-de-abad-saint-anthony-abbot/)

Every year, at this time of year, at the church of Caniço, on Sunday, a special service and procession is held for the blessing of animals. Many people bring their pets and the highlight is the participation of a group of horses.

 

 

 

MADEIRA’S FLOWER FESTIVAL

The Flower Festival is a Madeiran tribute to spring. Today is the highlight of Madeira’s famous flower festival. At 4pm today, the main streets of Funchal will be transformed with dancing children and flower-filled floats. The flower parade takes place every year, two weeks after Easter, and has been a tradition here on the island since 1979. This year there will be 11 groups taking part in the parade, with a total of approximately 1500 participants in all.


Next week Saturday, as part of the flower festival, hundreds of children will gather in the Praça do Município (the town square in front of the Colégio Church) where they will build a ‘Wall of Hope’, made of flowers. The children will each place a flower on the wall to symbolize the hope for a better and more peaceful world. Other activities that have been taking place in Funchal this week is the making of flower carpets in the streets, folklore performances, flower shows, classical music concerts and variety shows.

THE ADVENT SEASON – What exactly is it?

Advent is the period of four Sundays and weeks before Christmas. The word “Advent” comes from the Latin term “adventus” which means “arrival” or “coming”, particularly the arrival of something or someone of great significance. This is the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. Christians use the four Sundays and weeks of Advent to prepare and remember the real meaning of Christmas.

The 1st Sunday of Advent, and also the beginning of the new Liturgical year (Year B). The advent wreath is a popular symbol of the Advent season. It is usually made up of evergreen branches or boughs placed in a circle, and topped with four candles.

We use the Advent wreath as a way to prayerfully reflect the passage of the Advent season. On the first Sunday of Advent, the wreath is blessed and one candle is lit (usually a purple candle). Every Sunday, for the next 3 weeks, another candle is lit until all four candles are burning brightly.

Traditionally, the candles are purple and pink to match the colours of the liturgical vestments worn by the priest or bishop at Mass. However, in some countries, red, purple or white candles are used. In Catholic churches in Madeira, and here in our Chapel, we like to light a purple candle at the beginning of Mass on the first 2 Sundays of Advent, and priests wear purple vestments.

On the 3rd Sunday of Advent it is a bit different, with priests wearing rose-coloured (pink) vestments, and instead of a purple candle, a pink candle will be lit. On the 4th Sunday of Advent a purple candle is lit.

Christ the King Sunday celebrates the full authority of Christ as King and Lord of the universe. It is celebrated on the final Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Sunday before Advent. In 2017, the feast falls on November 26th.

Here in Madeira, in the town of Garajau, there is a 15 metre high (49ft) statue of Christ the King. In Portuguese it’s called the Cristo Rei statue. It is the work of French sculptor Georges Serraz. The monument was dedicated on the 30th of October 1927, and consists of a statue of Christ with open arms facing the ocean. It was financed and commissioned by the Counselor Aires de Ornelas, who had it erected to fulfil a promise. The majestic statue stands on top of a hill which drops into a ravine towards the sea, and is open to the public all year round.

At the entrance door of the Chapel, if you look upwards, just above your head you will see a painting of a sleeping man, with an alligator waiting to attack him. This has to do with a legend, which tradition has it that a pilgrim, on the road to the shrine of Our Lady of Penha de França in Lisbon, stopped by the way and fell into a deep sleep of exhaustion. Whilst he slept, a fearsome reptile was about to devour him, when Our Lady, surrounded by an aura of light, appeared upon the hilltop and awakened the pilgrim, warning him of the danger.

The beast was slain, and the hide carried to the church in Lisbon. Without the head, it measured 14 hands, and was covered in thick greenish black scales. Stuffed with straw, it was on view in the church there until 1739, when it had to be removed owing to its dilapidated condition. At the foot of any statue of our Lady of Penha de França you will always see a sleeping man and an alligator to represent this legend.

There is a Catholic tradition in Madeira that takes place every year within the parishes of Funchal. It is a very old tradition of devotion to the Holy Spirit and is called “Visitas do Espirito Santo” (loosely translated as Visits of the Holy Spirit).

Every Sunday during the Paschal Time (this year starting on April 23rd) and until Pentecost Sunday (June 4th) a group of people usually composed of three men from the church and two girls called “saloias” (country girls) will visit the houses of the parish community along the streets in the different suburbs of Funchal.

These visits take place during specific times which are decided upon by the Diocese, and the community is informed in advance so that they can prepare for these special visits. The aim of these “Holy Spirit” visits is to bring each family “the joy of the Risen Christ” and also to collect funds that have several purposes such as helping the poor, or restoration work in the church, amongst other things.

The 3 men in the group will usually wear special red cloaks, while the young girls who accompany the group are dressed in red or in the typical regional dress. In some parishes the girls are ornamented with gold, and on arrival at the houses they visit, they will sing traditional songs. The lyrics and music will vary depending on which region they are from. These “Espirito Santo” (Holy Spirit) groups also visit the churches around the island. The girls will carry baskets with flowers which also serve to collect the sweets and other goodies that are offered to them. There are some places where the group is accompanied by people playing musical instruments.

RELIGIOUS

Easter is one of the most important religious events in Madeira. This is a time full of traditions and customs that are lived with great intensity by the devoutly Catholic Madeiran population. Here are some of the events that took place in Holy Week this year:

ON HOLY THURSDAY:

During the Mass of the Lord’s Supper that took place at the Sé Cathedral, the Bishop of Funchal, D. António Carrilho, celebrated the traditional “washing of feet”, this year in collaboration with 3 members of the confraternity “Confraria do Santíssimo” from the Sé parish, 3 seminarians, and 6 patients from the health institution: “Casa de Saúde de São João de Deus”.

ON GOOD FRIDAY:

A group of locals from the Santa Cecilia parish acted out the Stations of the Cross in Pico da Torre (Câmara de Lobos). Among the local “actors” there is always someone who carries the Cross, and enacts the crucifixion.
At 7pm, thousands of Madeiran Catholics gathered at the Sé Cathedral in Funchal for the Good Friday procession known as “O Enterro do Senhor” (The Funeral of Our Lord).

FOOD

FOLAR DA PÁSCOA: A sweet bread, scented with cinnamon and Fennel seeds, often with one or more cooked eggs nestled in the center.
AMÊNDOAS: Sweet candy-covered almonds of different colours.
TORRÕES DE AÇÚCAR: These are very popular. The main ingredient is sugar, and there are different flavours, eg. Cocoa, almond, walnut, strawberry, orange, coconut, etc.

In Madeira, the carnival season is celebrated just before the beginning of Lent. There is a constant festive atmosphere on the island during this time, with cheerfulness prevailing in the streets.

Some traditional gastronomic delicacies which are meant to be eaten on Shrove Tuesday are “Sonhos” (a fried dough, literally translated as “dreams” because they are fluffy and are eaten with black sugar-cane honey) and “Malassadas” (literally translated as “under-cooked”) are egg-sized balls of yeast dough that are more compact and are also deep-fried in oil and coated with granulated sugar.

The main attraction of the Carnival season on the island is the colourful and vibrant Carnival Float Parade which takes place in the centre of Funchal, with over 1000 participants dressed in eye-catching costumes. On Shrove Tuesday, there is another parade, this time a Slapstick Parade (known locally as “O Cortejo Trapalhão”). The parade is open to all, both locals and foreign citizens, either independently or as a group. Many participant’s creativity knows no boundaries and spans from social and political satire, to traditional themes, or simple character disguise.