Festa Time!

All this Azore talk, and low and behold, I recently got the above pictures from my cousin, "Coelho"  in Terceira, Azores the other day.  It's festa time on the island!  Summer is just not summer without festas in Terceira!  On the first Sunday of a festa, everyone gets dressed up, goes to church, and follows the procession of religious statues out of the church.  Festas are a religious celebration of the holy ghost, but, is also followed by a lot of other activities such as "toiros acorda"--translated to bullfights on a rope (Hey, they don't kill the bull in Portugal--they let the bulls kill the people there), open air traditional music and folkloric dancing, cantinas that run through the evenings (Terceira consumes more beer than all of the other 8 islands of the Azores combined--it's a party island), discotecs for the younger crowds..etc..  A big ole' social event for young and old people.  In the old days, it was an excellent way to meet a future husband and wife.  This still happens today.  I met my ex-husband just that way.  I was so young (and naive, and stupid) back then.  I'm looking at these pictures at my cousin's children and I'm reminded again HOW OLD I AM NOW!!!!!