Festival of the Flowering Torches
The Resurrection Procession, in São Brás de Alportel, a village in the eastern Algarve, is a unique manifestation of the feelings of a people.
In the spirit of faith, every Easter Sunday, the ground is covered with flowers and the torch is raised aloft, to the rhythm of the chorus, in honor of the Risen Christ.
The traditional Festa das Torchas Floridas starts at 9:30 am, with the opening of the streets decorated with flowers, followed, at 10:00 am, by the Mass of the Resurrection, in the Igreja Matriz.
After the Eucharist, the most awaited moment of the festival will take place, which attracts thousands of visitors to this municipality, on Easter Sunday: the Hallelujah Procession, where men, wielding torches, repeat the phrase: “He is risen as he said! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”
In this festival, in addition to the flowers that give color to the torches, there are flower carpets over a kilometer long, in the streets where the procession passes. This festival involves the entire community and different generations, attracting thousands of national and international tourists who choose to experience Easter in a vibrant and unique way in São Brás de Alportel – Throughout the week, the community will be dedicated to picking flowers and preparing them. In the early hours of Sunday, hundreds of volunteers embark on the arduous task of preparing the flowery carpets.
On the streets where the parade passes, the balconies are also decorated, in this case, with blankets.
In the afternoon, from 3 pm onwards, the party continues in the churchyard, with cultural animation and traditional flavors.
