Take Kale and Add Heaps of Tradition for Portuguese Feast of Holy
Ghost

By JIM HICKEY

They sopped up the sopa, boogied to the brinquinho and munched down
the malasadas this weekend during the annual Portuguese-American Feast
of the Holy Ghost.

Organizers of the two-day event said the turnout was excellent, as
people of all nationalities converged under a canopy of clear blue skies
to celebrate all things Portuguese.

Although the number of people of Portuguese descent on the Island is
dwindling, it seemed everyone wanted to be Portuguese during the
festival. At the very least, people immersed themselves in the
Portuguese culture on display.

\"This is a great day to be Portuguese. Even if you
aren\'t, you should be happy the Portuguese are here to have this
great party,\" said David Araujo, a longtime member of the
Portuguese-American Club who has served as auctioneer at the feast for
more than 20 years.

The festival kicked off on Saturday evening, with the start of the
feast and an auction that have become an Island tradition. \"There
were no problems - it was as smooth as silk,\" said Dave
Alton, one of the event\'s organizers.

Hundreds of people devoured hot dogs, hamburgers and the traditional
sopa on long wooden benches. The highlight of the evening was the
auction run by Mr. Araujo, who bantered with the crowd and cajoled them
into buying lobsters, Portuguese sweet bread and other donated items.

\"He could sell ice to an Eskimo,\" marveled Mr. Alton.

Although one lobster didn\'t sell so easily.

\"I don\'t want to buy it for $40! I want it for
$50!,\" yelled one potential buyer. Clearly, this was no typical
auction. But that was the spirit of the night: giving freely to aid the
club\'s scholarship fund and other charitable causes.

From its origins as an event solely for Portuguese men, the feast
has grown to encompass the entire community, welcoming all to have a
good time. The event is organized entirely by volunteers, many who have
participated for decades.

\"We\'ve never had a problem finding volunteers. Someone
whistles and five people come and clean up,\" Mr. Alton said.

The festival resumed on Sunday with the annual parade, which started
at the Steamship Authority before pausing briefly at Our Lady Star of
the Sea church. There, a Catholic priest blessed the crown carried each
year by a young girl who has received first Communion. The young girl is
dressed as Queen Isabel, the patron saint of the festival who is
celebrated in Portuguese folklore for her charity and devotion to the
poor.

This year, that honor went to Kaitlyn Marchand, who tirelessly
carried the heavy crown despite suffocating temperatures Sunday. She was
flanked by Taylor Ibarrondo and Amber Cappelli, who carried a plate and
scepter during the parade.

The parade was led by a police escort, while a troupe of Portuguese
folklore dancers from New Bedford twirled and circled. Bringing up the
rear were a long line of town fire trucks and emergency vehicles. The
loud horns and sirens prompted many parade spectators to block their
ears.

On top of the vehicles, town EMTs, firefighters and other well-known
residents and their children showered the crowd with candy.

The parade headed up Vineyard avenue and paused briefly at the
cemetery where the club\'s oldest member, 96-year-old Joseph Nunes
placed a wreath at the grave of club member Eric Bergeron MacLean.

The formerly rowdy parade fell silent as a color guard from the Oak
Bluffs police department saluted and a pair of buglers played Taps.

The parade then resumed and headed toward the Portuguese American
Club, where the focus shifted back to friends, food and fun.

In the club kitchen, Bill Kee stirred the third and final vat of
sopa with a boat oar and throngs of customers lined up for the piping
hot soup, despite the fact that temperatures were peaking in the
mid-90s.

Mr. Kee said this was his first year helping to prepare the soup.

\"A lot of things go into the sopa. You have the kale. You have
the beef. You have the linguica. But the most important things that goes
in is the tradition,\" he said.

Mr. Kee joked with Lanie Bonito and Barbara Humver, who were in
charge of pouring the soup into bowls.

\"Over there we have the kale sisters,\" he quipped.

Outside, the New Bedford Portuguese folk dancers circled around the
Maypole. Male dancers wore hats that looked like a Hershey Kisses candy,
while the women wore traditional wool skirts.

\"These dresses are traditional wear, but they weren\'t
made for parades in July,\" said dancer Stephanie Escobar, sweat
pouring off her brow.

Inside the food tent, Mr. Nunes sat in a folding lawn chair, taking
an occasional sip from a cold beer. Every few seconds, people would
approach to say hello and shake his hands. Mr. Nunes said it was an
honor to be asked to march in the parade.

\"It\'s a great tradition. It feels good to be a part of
it. When this started in 1931, there were only 50 members. And now look
at all these people,\" he said.

Later, Abreu Jacques awarded the woman of the hour, Patricia
Bergeron, with a large bottle of Madeiran Gold wine.

Ms. Bergeron, who has organized the feast for the past 18 years,
immediately offered the wine to the auction in the charitable spirit of
the Queen Isabel.

\"But I warn you. That stuff is strong. It\'s like liquid
heroin,\" she warned Mr. Araujo before putting the wine on the
auction block.

As the masses devoured plates of cacoila and fried dough, the folk
dancers kicked it into a higher gear.

\"The audience will be participating in this dance. Or I warn
you, we will come out there and get you,\" said a dancer into the
microphone.

A number of brave souls joined the folk dancers in a spinning
circle. The circle grew as more people found their courage and joined
the fold.

\"This brings me back to my home. It is like stepping into the
past,\" said Manny Rodrigues, a New Bedford resident who moved to
Massachusetts from Madeira when he was a teenager.

Mr. Rodrigues said he attends the feast every year.

\"This is a way to preserve our folklore and culture. It shows
that we have not forgotten our old ways or the old country,\" he
said.

Gazette intern Ben Lurie contributed to this story.