The festivities have not quite finished in Portugal as next week is O Dia de Reis , the day of Kings. It is one of our favourite celebrations as you never know what you might come across.
If you have enjoyed the gallery above and are in the Algarve next week here’s a brief overview of some of the events this coming weekend.
Saturday – there are the usual markets taking place throughout the region and in the evening in Santa Caterina da Fonte do Bispo you can enjoy Charolas, traditional music and singing which began at Christmas and continues with the musicians travelling from village to village until 6th January.
Sunday – from 10am in the morning there will be Charolas in Moncarapacho, followed by the second xarém festival. Alternatively go to Vila Real de Santo António in the morning (around 11am) to see the Magi arriving from Ayamonte, and Tavira in the afternoon for a festival of Charolas. if classical music is more your thing then in Ourique in the evening there is a concert ‘London to Vienna’.
Epiphany – in the afternoon in Moncarapacho you can again enjoy the Charolas and then in the early evening in Loulé you can enjoy Bolo Rei as you listen to probably the final charola
For more details visit the excellent al Algave conmigo, and if you like me you have the misfortune not to be in the Algarve at the moment then why now revisit some of my posts from previous years.
Three years ago we were delighted by camels, dancers and street theatre in Olhão. Then last year we thoroughly enjoyed listening to the grupos de charloas and of course eating Xarém. Talking of food if you have not heard of Bolo-rei before then make sure you visit and also a delight are the presépios!
My apologies again for the lack of posts in the autumn/winter of 2019, I am still juggling lots in England and we don’t yet have a date for our return to the Algarve. However I will aim to post at least once a month as I have hundreds, if not thousands, of birding photographs from last year’s winter sojourn!