“Feiras Novas”

 

On May 5th, 1826, king D. Pedro IV authorized the people of Ponte de Lima to institute three consecutive days of fair, as a way of celebrating the festivities in honour of Nossa Senhora das Dores. Thus are born the “Feiras Novas”, which annually gather thousands of people in September raising the local culture and ethnography through the folklore, the animal contests and the expressive parades. The major festivities of the municipality are marked with the traditional chords of the concertina and the hammering of Zés Pereiras and Gaiteiros, which mark the rhythm of the "night and day" pilgrimage.