July humidity hung over Circuit Avenue on Sunday, a day that started out gray and turned bright and sunny, a welcome change for those enjoying the second day of the annual Feast of the Holy Ghost, which featured a parade in Oak Bluffs, starting at the Steamship Authority.
This past weekend the annual Feast of the Holy Ghost took over Oak Bluffs with the sights, sounds, and aromas that we’ve waited all year for. The Portuguese-American Club (P.A. Club) was Feast Central for an event whose history goes back to the 13th century.
The feast originated from Queen Isabel of Aragon’s commitment to feeding the hungry of Portugal, and a deep belief that the Holy Ghost was responsible for many miracles provides the foundation for the annual event. The queen’s own crown was said to have healing powers.
This year’s parade began with a police motorcycle leading a military honor guard up Circuit Avenue. Grupo Folclorico of New Bedford, fresh off the Oak Bluffs ferry, provided the music and dancers. Founded in 1979, the group preserves the folklore of Madeira in this country, and is a colorful part of the P.A. Club Feast. The marching band played “Washington Post” by John Philip Sousa (of Portuguese heritage), the perfect bridge between proud traditions, while American and Portuguese flags waved to the beat.
In her beautiful costume, Maria V. Quintal, 95, of New Bedford, rode in the parade but looked as if she could have walked the route with the other dancers. The feast brings generations together. Parents holding children, great-grandparents hand-in-hand with great-grandchildren, pass on the stories and traditions.
The parade included a stop at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church for a blessing, as well as one at the cemetery to honor fallen heroes. From there it continued to the P.A. Club, where the festivities first began on Saturday night with bright lights, fun, games, and most important, food. Sopa, a traditional soup symbolizing the Queen feeding the poor, took center stage. Gallons and gallons were consumed, and the spicy aroma evoked memories of summers past while connecting festivalgoers to ages ago.
A large tent provided shade for the audience, who sat eating at picnic tables. The Grupo Folclorico dancers entertained under the noonday sun. They whirled, stomped, and swayed to the music, never missing a beat.
Ethel Tyson of Oak Bluffs said, “I come for the authenticity of today.” She also came to get her share of sopa.
Tradition and authenticity were the order of the day. Huge quantities of fried dough, chicken dinners, and cacoila sandwiches (pronounced ka-sir-la) were enjoyed. Chris Buckley of West Tisbury worked the food booth along with another first-timer, Amber Cuthbert, 12, of Edgartown. Amber pulled bits of dough from a huge ball and formed it into small plate-size shapes. From there the dough was quick-fried, covered with sugar, and put into the hands of excited customers who bit into the hot, sweet treat, fanning at their mouths because they just couldn’t wait for it to cool.
The auction began as the dancers and musicians took a well-deserved lunch break. Lobsters, Portuguese sweet bread, and other offerings were sold to raise money for the P.A. Club’s many charitable efforts.
And so it continued. On a hot, summer weekend, we celebrate charity past and present, and our connection to the Azores and the Portuguese people. From the 13th century to the 1920s when the feast began on the Vineyard, and into tomorrow, some things happily stay the same.