“A The party will be on the street”, announced today the Councilor for Culture of the municipality, Leonor Barata, explaining that, in the afternoon of that day, there will be “many street art presentations, especially in the historic centre, which will culminate in a historic parade evocative of the 900 years of the charter”, between the Solar do Vinho do Dão and the churchyard of the Cathedral.
Leonor Barata said that the procession will have 200 extras and that “the streets will be prepared to receive Queen D. Teresa, who will once again hand over the charter to the person who is now running the city”, President Fernando Ruas.
In the courtyard of the Cathedral, “a medieval feast” will be held, in which medieval community dances will be proposed and which will feature 80 dancers, followed by a concert starring the groups Retimbrar and Sopa da Pedra, with guests Gira Sol Azul and Teresa Salgueiro added.
On the weekend of the 27th and 28th, there will also be a Crafts Fair, in the Aquilino Ribeiro Park, which will involve 50 operators linked to various crafts, knowledge and traditions, such as tin, wood, weaving, Tibaldinho’s embroidery, pottery, basketry and costume jewelry.
Actress Sofia Moura, from the collective Mochos do Telhado, will play D. Teresa during the six months of celebrations, which will end on October 31st.
According to Leonor Barata, this half year, D. Teresa will make “appearances to the city and the territory”, visiting, for example, the Feira de São Mateus, the weekly market and a shopping center, to “cause a clash between two eras” and until, who knows, becoming the “queen of Instagram”.
The objective is “to allow everyone to interact with the queen and for the story to pass in a more informal and lighter way”, he justified.
The Councilor for Culture said that the municipality understood that the commemoration of the 900th anniversary of D. Teresa’s charter “should be the pretext to promote a reflection on the territory”.
With the motivation given by D. Teresa, the municipality prepared “a program of reflection, of action, very participatory and shared with the living forces of the city and with the community”, he stressed, adding that this was discussed with the local agents and involves more than 20 partners.
“It is such an ambitious event that we need everyone’s collaboration”, he underlined.
The program includes the inauguration of the exhibition ‘O Foral de Viseu by D. Teresa. 1123_uses and customs’ at the Museum of the City’s History, the launch of a commemorative stamp in partnership with the CTT, the cycle of conversations “It all started with her”, a small-format show in schools for students from 5th and 6th years of schooling and a caricature contest, among other initiatives.
In August and September, the program will extend to Feira de São Mateus, with some medieval-inspired initiatives, in a contemporary approach.
This year, Municipality Day (September 21) will serve to “celebrate the relationships established over the last 900 years”, said Leonor Barata.
On that day, a parade will combine history with ethnography, in a parade of the uses and customs of the parish folk groups, which will include the participation of groups from friendly and sister cities, with their traditional costumes, songs, dances and music, in a total of 800 people.
Leonor Barata added that, in September, there will also be “a more academic cycle of conferences dedicated to medieval history and the territory’s relationship with that history and with the beginnings of local power”, which will serve to reflect on “what Viseu intends to be like territory 900 years from now”.
The end of the celebrations is scheduled for October 31 – the birth date, in Viseu, of King D. Duarte – with a medieval supper.
“These commemorations are rigorous and have a very strong historical bent, but it is not our aim to create a nostalgic idea. Our idea is also to promote reflection on the future, in which we have the participation of younger people and various institutions “, stressed Leonor Barata.
Fernando Ruas considered that, “if D. Teresa were alive, she would be happy with the way this community evolved”.
Granted in May 1123 by D. Teresa, the charter – the original of which is in Torre do Tombo – established the municipality and regulated its administration, duties and privileges.
Under a collaboration agreement recently signed, the municipality of Santa Maria da Feira is a strategic partner in these celebrations.
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