Our Lady of Mercy annual Portuguese festival a success
Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church celebrated and observed the spiritual roots of Portuguese culture on the weekend.
The annual Fatima Feast this past weekend was another success, with people from different cultures and all walks of life converging on the Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church to share a Portuguese tradition.
Sunday’s celebrations started with a mass and procession at 09:00 to observe the spiritual roots of the festival.
Maria-Goretti Helena, from the church, explained that the festival commemorating the appearance of the Virgin Mary to three children in 1917 in the village of Fatima, Portugal, was the highlight of the year.
“The local Portuguese community started the Springs festival 38 years ago,” said Helena.
The festival was also part of the church’s fundraising efforts.
From early afternoon, friends and families relaxed at the church hall and nibbled on delicious Portuguese fare.
Mouth-watering cakes and tarts were also available.
The Rancho Folclórico da Casa Social da Madeira, a cultural dance group from Pretoria, was one of the highlights.
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At the start and closure of the dance, they danced to their national anthem and hung celebratory ribbons on the dance group flags to commemorate the event.
They entertained the crowd with traditional Portuguese dances while dressed in their colourful traditional garb.
A Portuguese band and singers, who presented beautiful and cheerful folk songs, accompanied them.
There was musical entertainment throughout the day, including Portuguese, English, Afrikaans, and African hits from the past few decades.
