What is the Festa Do Santo Cristo Dos Milagres?

In English, the Festa do Santo Cristo dos Milagres means the Feast of the Holy Christ of Miracles. But what is it? Well, it’s one of the oldest and largest religious celebrations in the Azores having started almost 400 years ago in São Miguel. Every year, this festa attracts thousands of people especially those of Azorean descent.

The centrepiece of this festa is a statue of Jesus Christ or the Lord Holy Christ of the Miracles who is housed in an “andor” that is adorned with flowers.  The statue itself is draped in a red cape decorated with embellishments such as jewellery and metallic threads.

The statue of Santo Cristo is carried on the shoulders of ushers wearing blue vests called “opas” who trade off during the long procession route. Other participants in the procession include other ushers wearing red opas, children dressed as angels, priests, and marching bands to name a few. The public can join the procession and follows at the end after all of the official participants. The procession route is marked by an elaborate design of leaves and colourful flower petals that weaves through the neighbourhood.

“Although the solemn procession is only held on one day, the events of the Festival of Senhor Santo Cristo occur over a period of a week and involve a ritual of moving the image between the main church and convent nightly, ultimately culminating in the procession [on the Sunday].”

If you’d like to learn more about Festa do Santo Cristo dos Milagres, read my sources below.  Better yet, come out to Our Lady of Fatima Portuguese Parish this weekend and celebrate Festa do Santo Cristo dos Milagres. See the event details below at the bottom of this post.

Sources:
Wikipedia: Cult of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres
Wikipedia: Azores
New York Times
Portuguese American Journal

Festa Do Santo Cristo Dos Milagres (Vancouver)

Our Lady of Fatima Portuguese Parish in Vancouver will be holding their Festa Do Santo Cristo (Feast of Christ) on the weekend of June 17^th and 18^th. Everyone is invited to participate. See the schedule below and on the poster for more details.

Event Details:

Saturday, June 17th
5:30 pm Rosary
6:00 pm Mass(Portuguese) and Procession around the Church and then followed by a social in the church hall.

Sunday, June 18^th
12:00 pm Mass (Bilingual)
Followed by a Procession and social in the church hall.

Address: 1423 East 13^th Avenue, Vancouver, BC
Website: Our Lady of Fatima Portuguese Parish