Culture
councilor
keeps holiday tradition alive!
By
Pedro Amaral
The
New Bedford Standard Times
During the 1960s, one of the most colorful Azorean
traditions was the Christmas village, or Presépio, with the manger at its
center. The miniature village would be set up with crooked roads, lined with
white houses, that climbed the surrounding mountains
.
In
the weeks leading up to the holiday, the children would be busy gathering lava
rocks for the grotto, moss to spread throughout the valleys, and twigs to erect
as trees.
Of
course, none of this would make sense without the clay figures. These miniatures
would portray the birth of Jesus, as well as the rural life in the Azores. There
was the rooster in charge of the hens, the shepherd guarding his flock, the
woman washing clothes in the stream and the farmer plowing his field.
But
the villages always held surprises for the keen observer. A tree could hide the
family dog, or a lamb could be astray from the flock, and the children would
entertain themselves looking for these little surprises for hours on end.
Today,
in an era of electronics and the Internet, the old tradition has practically
fallen by the way side. Few are the homes that still arrange the Presépio in a
corner of the living room at Christmas time. But the town of Lagoa, in Sao
Miguel, is making sure the old custom does not die altogether.
Through
the efforts of Roberto Medeiros, Lagoa's councilor of culture, a collection of
clay figurines is on display at the library of St. Francis Xavier Church, 81
Carpenter St., East Providence. In previous years, this collection was displayed
at the Art Museum, Art Works!, the Rotch-Jones-Duff House in New Bedford and the
Old Colony Society in Taunton. Mr.
Medeiros said artisans who dedicate much of their time to the art form make the
clay figures for a living.
"The
original artisans worked at the local ceramic factory," he said. "In
order to supplement their income, they would take home clay and mold it into
figures of the Azorean folklore, as well as biblical ones. We feared, at one
time, that the art form would die with the old artists.
"But
as time went on, we see surviving family members taking over the making of these
artifacts. You can see in our collections the Sacred Family in a grotto. Next
are the cow and the ass, the magi on their way to see the baby Jesus, the
fleeing to Egypt, the angels, some figures in Arabic costumes, and others as
Roman soldiers. "Our
artisans also make replicas of the buildings of Jerusalem -- the castles,
towers, and houses of the time."
Mr.
Medeiros said the potters also create everyday scenes of Azorean life, which are
included in the collection on display in Rhode Island.
"Look
there," he said, pointing to a group of figures wearing red robes.
"That represents the Santo Christo procession, a collection of 228
different figures. There is a farmer sowing, and a scene from a bullfight. Also,
there is a flour mill, the home baking of bread, and the wine making. Look at
the street sweeper and the garbage collectors. Some figurines portray our daily
serious side, while others represent a mundane and satiric side of our
lives."
Mr.
Medeiros said his town has created a Presépio museum that is visited by
thousands of people every year, especially students.
"Our
municipality is preserving this art form for future generations," he said.
"It is always gratifying to see young people interested in visiting the
displays, or the museum."
On
Wednesday, a group of young students and their teachers from the East Providence
Portuguese School visited the display and had many questions for Mr. Medeiros.
They wanted to know how the molds were made.
"First
of all, the artisan must manually sculpture a prototype," Mr. Medeiros
explains, first in Portuguese, then in English.
"From
the prototype, he or she makes a mold that opens in two halves," he said,
pointing to several molds next to the display. "After, the clay is pushed
into each half, then it is joined together and left to dry. After the clay is
dried, the mold is carefully opened to remove the clay figure. When a
considerable number of figures have been made, they are placed in a kiln and
left to bake. Finally, the figures are ready to be painted and decorated.
"The
artisans use their imagination to produce all the figures, from their poses to
the colors with which they are decorated," he said.
When
the students left and the hall had quieted down, Mr. Medeiros took a deep breath
and explained to a group of adults the efforts his municipality is making to
keep the old tradition alive.
"We have created Presépio competitions in the Azores, where families compete by making the most original and imaginative displays, and we are sponsoring displays in private homes in New Bedford, Fall River, Dartmouth and Taunton, as well as Bristol, East Providence and in Canada. Our goal is to see this wonderful Christmas traditions thrive both in the Azores, and where the Azorean communities have settled," he said.
The
East Providence display is open daily from 6 to 8 p.m., and there is no cover
charge.
Pedro Amaral can be reached at 123 Ames St., Fall River,
MA 02721,
or at amaral3@aol.com
This
story appeared on Page A10 of The Standard-Times on December 15, 2002.