Every year on 20th January a festival is dedicated to St. Sebastian, the protector of hunger, plague and war. It has been said to believe that these festivities began during the French invasion in 1808. Village people knew that when the troops would pass they would destroy and plunder everything in sight so they decided to pray to the Saint for protection. By luck, on that same day, there was a huge snowfall and the troops were forced to change direction. The village people thanked the Saint and promised him a festival every year on that day to honor him. Every year on 20th January, a pagan ritual community meal is made to commemorate the festival of St Sebastian in the village of Vila Grande. It is a unique festival due to its curious rural characteristics. It is organized by five habitants and you can always count on large quantities of food: 150kg of pork meat, 60kg of rice and 60kg of bread, of which is all blessed and placed in large baskets and pans and is brought to a huge table (metres in length) covered in linen table cloths that spreads throughout the village streets. The festival of St. Sebastian is also celebrated in Alturas do Barroso, where after mass and a procession, beans and rice are served in the village of Cerdedo.
Location: Boticas
Location: Boticas
