Monthly Archives: February 2012

Ericeira and Carnaval time.

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In Ericeira we also like to play at Carnaval.                                                                                                                                                                      A few years ago Carnaval time was much more lively. At the weekend which preceeds Carnaval Tuesday ( Pancake Day in Britain) there were always lots of people in fancy dress or simply with exaggerated make-up wandering in the streets,  blowing whistles and going from one coffee shop to another or one tavern to another having a drink, playing tricks or just showing off their Carnaval masks. They were welçomed with great joy and between laughter we tried to discover their identity. It is also traditional to make and eat “filhós”, a small fried cake covered in sugar and cinnamon. On  Saturday, Sunday afternoon, Monday and Tuesday there were always masked balls in the local football club’s installations, which later passed to the new larger installations of the local fire corporation.
Today none of this takes place!

Times have changed, noone will open their door to strangers and there are no longer any dances. The older, better known celebrators have departed for ever.
However, we still continue to play at carnaval time. Friday, Saturday and Sunday were days of great fun. The local nursery and primary schools filled the streets with their pupils, all dressed in lovely costumes made by parents and obeying special themes. With the beautiful weather we are having this year it was a joy and pleasure to watch the children in their own special parade. Each class chose its theme and we were able to see marine animals, rockets, astronauts and many others. They were all so happy and proud to be a part of the event.

Some of the musicians from our local band also spent a few days parading the local streets and playing typical carnaval tunes. As they walked around the town they were joined by local people, who still remember the former days and enjoy participating in these activities.
It’s over! There will be more next year! The government took away the public holiday , but commerce has to continue. Shops need to sell fancy-dress costumes and the restaurants need to sell their dishes. It’s up to the local people to animate Ericeira and attract more visitors.

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Ericeira Surfing Meca

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To speak about Ericeira and not to mention Surfing is an unforgiveable error.If we pay attention we can always see youngsters with a board under their arm, walking down to the sea. Whether it be in São Julião, Ericeira, Empa, Ribeira d`Ilhas, Praia dos Coxos or São Lourenço young people never feel cold and are never afraid to venture out into rough seas. Wearing their wet suits and carrying their boards they go at any time during the day to try and get the best waves. It is these  youngsters, who brighten up life in Ericeira. Of course there are world famous trademarks connected to the sport that have established shops and distribution points in and near to Ericeira. We can see well known names such as Billabong, Quiksilver, and Semente Boards, which a few years ago were completely unknown in Ericeira. At present a new industry has developed in Ericeira, thanks to the iniciative of young entrepreneurs, who have set up surf schools and are willing to pass on their knowledge and expertise to teach youngsters , who from a very early age have shown a great love and interest in learning how to surf.
From the 19th to the 24th of October  the Quiksilver Pro competition, a round of the second division of the World Surfing competion will take place in Ericeira. It is a great pleasure to recieve these youngsters, from all over the world and to see their enthusiasm for this radical  sport. The first portuguese championship was in 1977 and took place in Ericeira. Since then several others have taken place. Every year since 1999 there have always been great events in Ericeira, if not at a world level then at national levels. Surfing is always present in our lives. The newspaper “Opção Turismo” stated on the 14th of October that Ericeira has candidated its coastline from Empa beach to the beach at São Lourenço as a World surfing reserve.

This request needs to be approved by “Savethe Waves”, a north american organization, which classifies beaches and recently classified Malibu beach in California as the first World Surfing Reserve. Good news! We hope all goes well for Ericeira.

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