History relived with the Portugese Festa this weekend

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In Fallon, the "Feast of Pentacost" is celebrated annually as the Portugese Festa. This weekend, the Festa will be held at St. Patrick's Church and Moiola Hall. A dance will be held Saturday night from 8-11 p.m. Linguica will be served, and this year's queens and princesses will be introduced and crowned. We also have a group of dancers from California coming to demonstrate several traditional Portuguese dances.

This year's Senior Queen is Jessica Homma, daughter of Pete and Maryanne Homma. Her attendants are Madeline Souza and Mireya Montero. Her younger sister Rosemary is the Junior Queen with Amity Hammond and Hanna Coe as her attendants. The Mini Queen is Madeline Marie Giordano Robbins. Her attendants are Audrey Rassmussen and Kenna Hamlin.

The Festa continues on Sunday morning with a re-enactment of Queen Isabella's procession, as we march to St. Patrick's Church, to arrive just in time for the 11 a.m. mass. After mass all are invited to continue the celebration at the Moiola Hall to enjoy "Sopas."

An auction will follow the meal with several local, as well as traditional Portuguese items.

The crown we use today is the original crown purchased for this procession in 1927 and is on display year round at the Churchill County Museum. This week it can be viewed in Coffee Jewelers display case on Maine Street.

The Festa was discontinued in 1955 but revived in 1979. It has been, and hopes to be, an annual event for many years to come.

Throughout Portugal, the Azores, Brazil and wherever Portuguese communities were established, there is one specific festival, "The Feast of Pentecost," which has become uniquely associated with the Portuguese.

The traditional celebration honors Queen Isabella's response to widespread famine among her people in the 1200's. She promised to offer her precious jewels to pay for the food and give her crown to the church if relief came. After nine days of prayer, ships arrived with food.

The Queen, true to her word, proceeded to the church, with her guards and maids-in-waiting, to leave her crown on the altar.