The Feiras Novas are a traditional pilgrimage in Ponte de Lima that holds a special place in the lives of Fernanda Alves, 71, and Rui Cerqueira, 59. Both grew up connected to Correlhã and folklore, and their childhood memories reveal the importance of this festival in their lives. Rui, as a child, would accompany his mother on foot from Correlhã to Ponte de Lima along the Caminho do Topo, today part of the Camino de Santiago. Fernanda, on the other hand, remembers her father's promise: after they finished shucking the corn from a field, they could go see the fireworks of the Feiras Novas.
Fernanda and her sister arrived in town, ate a sandwich and drank a soda at Cachadinha, but their father decided they had already seen the lights and took them back home. Along the way, their father played the concertina and sang, asking his daughters to sing along, but they were upset for not having seen the fireworks. It was only after getting married that Fernanda finally watched the famous fireworks of the Feiras Novas, which she describes as "our greatest freedom, after getting married."
Currently, the festival continues to hold an important place in both their lives. Fernanda considers the Feiras Novas her favorite festival, particularly enjoying the procession and the Saturday nights when she would go out to dance and sing with her husband. Rui follows practically the entire program: the opening, the tunas, the procession, the concerts by the bands, the folklore festival, and, of course, the fireworks.
Rui considers the Feiras Novas "the most democratic festival," due to how it brings together people of different origins and conditions in the same space. Fernanda summarizes the essence of the festival in a more personal way: "It is a festival of reinforcing bonds, where friends come."
