For the first time in more than 50 years, the Portuguese-American Club Holy Ghost Parade did not weave its way through the streets of Oak Bluffs.
“It was a tough call. This was the first time I can remember not having the parade,” said club member and former parade organizer Coreen Alton. Ms. Alton helped to run the event from 1985 to 2007.
“We’ve never even had a day where it has ever rained,” she said.
Organizers said the impending rainstorms on Sunday left them with no alternative. Many off-Island marchers had cancelled their trip the evening before due to the forecast. Organizer and board of directors member Tricia Bergeron made the call at 9 a.m. Sunday.
While the rain did infringe on an Island tradition, it not dampen spirits. Members and visitors still gathered at noon at the P.A. Club in Oak Bluffs to witness the blessing of Queen Isabella’s crown, platter and scepter. The weekend-long Festas do Espírito Santo, or Festivals of the Holy Spirit, honors Queen Isabella of Portugal and her love for her people.
“This celebration is really all about carrying on our heritage and traditions,” Ms. Bergeron said.
Youngsters Alo Clake, Addison Clake and Maggie Pacheco all helped in the ceremony. Maggie carried the crown to be blessed by Deon Thomas. In keeping with tradition, she was selected as crown-bearer as a member of this year’s first communion class.
“I loved holding the crown,” said Maggie, smiling in her white communion dress.
“I helped to clean it!” added Addison.
Following the blessing, guests enjoyed free bowls of Portuguese sopa — a bouillon beef-based soup filled with potatoes, cabbage, linguiça, and Portuguese allspice. The sopa was given out for free on Sunday as a tribute to Queen Isabel’s commitment to feeding the poor.
Sopa was also on the menu on Saturday evening during the first day of the weekend event. The party on Saturday began at 5 p.m. and filled the P.A. Club. A.J. deBettencourt made sure there was enough sopa for all the revelers.
“I’ve been helping to make the sopa for the past four years,” Mr. deBettencourt said. He and his sous-chefs ran between the club’s kitchen and the massive rectangular vat or “coffin” the sopa simmered in just a few feet outside the kitchen’s back door.
“The best time to eat it is towards the end of the night,” Mr. deBettencourt said, ladling a scoopful into another pot to be brought back into the kitchen. “The longer it sits, the better it is. I used to eat it every year when I was a kid. And every year it tastes even better.”
In addition to sopa, guests enjoyed Portuguese sweet bread, carne espita and fried dough, handmade by Tony Bettencourt and his group of spirited doughboys. Gathered in an assembly line, the men, all clad in Hawaiian shirts, pounded the dough slices to a pancake-like thinness, coating both sides with flour.
“Every year we wear different matching shirts, this year was Hawaiian themed,” said Howie Sashin. Mr. Sashin has spent many years preparing the dough and French fries for the feast. All prep work began on Thursday night.
“I’m on the fry team,” Mr. Sashin said, adding that 150 pounds of spuds were hand-cut and precooked at the club’s kitchen while the dough was made at the Edgartown School.
Auctioneer Mike Delis worked two shifts, Saturday and Sunday, encouraging guests to bid on lobsters, sweet bread, and gift cards from local island retailers. Sunday featured even more auction items.
“Bob Gatchell donates hand-carved wooden lighthouses, one for each member that passed away that year,” Mr. Delis said. The lighthouses are all solar powered. Bidding began at $175.
In the midst of the live auction on Sunday, club member Ben Madeiras ran the length of the room, carrying the Flag of Portugal over his shoulder. Mr. Madeiras tossed candy onto the ground before disappearing back out the door, just as quickly as he appeared.
“I’ve been carry the flag in the parade since I was a little kid,” Mr. Madeiras said. “It’s never been cancelled due to weather, so I just wanted to do something fun.”
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