pArtTy iN tHe viLlaGe...

I'm not so inspired to write as I got so overwhelmed to answer so many e.mails...from 11.30 and it's now 5.30pm... it's exhausting to be so long at the computer...Fiiuuu!!!
So, I'm just gonna do as last times as I upload pictures, I will put a comment...

I don't remember anymore when was it, but it was somewhere in the mid January, when we went to celebrate the party of the village, Povoa de Atalaia... Everyone was inviting us and of course we couldn't miss it...

The legend of the village says that once there was such a big plague of grasshoppers, maybe like the one in Egypt before the Israelites came out with Moses...
but here they didn't asked God to stop it, but to some saint... I never understand why the portuguese people, having so much faith, turn to dead martyrs in prayer, instead of turning to God himself...
Well, the plague stopped anyway and they build a little chappel in the place all the grasshoppers came to die... Then they make this kind of corn cake and some other fried things and everyone is welcome to share it and eat it... it's nice...
But the priest who kind of directed the mass in front of the chappel was very good... he reminded the saint (I forgot his name), but led people to follow his example and not worship him or pray to him...
The scriptures were read also, the part when Esdras reads the Word for the people and they get so touched and repent from their sins... The priest also encouraged the people to get to know and above all practice the word that God gives us

the priest blessed the baskets of the corn cake... and he also blessed the people, which are more important, he said :-)...
I like this guy, he's always encouraging people to live the faith and not just play a religiosity...





The guys didn't really like much the cakes... I didn't mind :-)




Well, it was also one more opportunity to fellowship with the village and we had nice conversations with some people...
I feel it's important to participate in the village community life, even if it doesn't mean so much to us, but it does to people...and specially the old people, they like to see young people around :-)