José Pedro Ribeiro Pereira, a 22-year-old young man from Fontão, entered the contest for the Feiras Novas poster in Ponte de Lima for the first time. Initially reluctant to participate because he had never drawn anything in that style, he ended up spending a week letting ideas "marinate" until he found the proposal he wanted to put on paper. It was the first time that the people of Lima could choose the image of the pilgrimage from ten proposals.
The winning proposal placed the woman of the Feiras Novas at the center. José Pedro wanted to go beyond a simple representation of a lady dancing and decided to show what distinguishes the pilgrimage for him: the people who come together. Thus, around the female figure he drew a family sequence with the grandfather, the son, and the grandson. The young man explained that he likes the colors and the composition he created and that he did not expect the amount of reactions his work received after the victory.
José Pedro has been drawing since childhood and seeing his creation associated with the Feiras Novas had a particular significance. "When I pass by a poster, it feels strange, but at the same time I feel happy, because I think I may be able to direct myself towards something I have wanted since I was little," he said.
The young man emphasized that "the Feiras Novas are a meeting point," recalling that it is at this time that he reunites with people he rarely sees during the rest of the year. He already experiences the pilgrimage with friends and family, but this year he looks at the Feiras Novas also through his own drawing.
