O event, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday, is organized by the municipality of Almeida, in collaboration with the Union of Parishes of Castelo Mendo, Ade, Mesquitela and Monteperobolso.
According to the organization, with the holding of the annual event, the charter that was assigned to Castelo Mendo in 1229 by King Sancho II is fulfilled.
“During Saturday and Sunday, let yourself be seduced by the aromas, sounds and stories of the past that will take place on the stage of the ‘village’, let yourself be enchanted by the mischief of the minstrels, the gallantry of the swordsmen, have fun with fools and the loves and dislikes of ladies and nobles, let yourself be bewitched by the malevolent witches of the iron cauldron, delight yourself with flavors in the taverns of the market”, announced the promoters of the initiative.
During the Castelo Mendo Medieval Fair, permanent workshops will be held for families, there will be medieval games, horse riding, medieval dance workshops, military and civilian camp, archery, tent with reptiles, a space with farm animals, falconry and birds, among other activities.
The organization said, in a statement, that for the little ones there will be “lively activities, where imagination will reign, hand in hand with history, in a village transformed into a bustling medieval city”.
According to the programme, the event starts at 3 pm on Saturday, with the opening of the market, followed by a musical parade with jugglers (at the outer doors and in Pelourinho).
The highlight of the first day, which also includes, among other things, street theater and puppetry, horse training and a parade through the streets, is a medieval supper at 7:30 pm in the church of São Vicente.
On Sunday, the Medieval Fair space, which opens at 10 am
00 and closes at 19:00, includes animation and street theater, dances, a parade of horsemen on foot and on horseback and another historical event, a horseback and archery tournament, among many other activities.
The town of Castelo Mendo, in the municipality of Almeida, in the interior of the country, is one of the 12 Historic Villages of Portugal.
The Associação de Desenvolvimento Turístico Aldeias Históricas de Portugal states on its website that the charter granted by Dom Sancho II to Castelo Mendo, on March 15, 1229, “established a weekly market, on Sundays, inside the castle, and a fair held three times a year, lasting eight days, this being one of the oldest medieval fairs” in the country.
“On June 1, 1510, Dom Manuel I gave Castelo Mendo a New Charter, with the village being endowed with a pillory, erected next to the church of São Vicente, a Town Hall and respective prison”, it reads.
The Historic Village of Castelo Mendo maintained its municipal status until 1855 and was classified as a Public Interest Property in 1984.
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