In the first weekend off July, in the framework of the partnership between the IHC and the Municipality of Tomar, the IHC researchers Paula Godinho and Maria Alice Samara, and fellow André Camponês, made a “field trip” to the Festival of the Trays in Tomar.
This visit was part of the ongoing research project on the history, ethnography and heritage of the Festival of the Trays, whose main objective is to register this festivity in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. We talked to Maria Alice Samara, who tells us about the celebration: “Walking through the streets of the city of Tomar, we observed the painstaking and creative work that transformed them into a dazzling, multi-handed scenario with the involvement of neighbours and the community.”
In addition, the team visited the exhibition A Festa, o Saber e o Gesto… De 1884 aos dias de hoje (hosted by the Centro de Estudos em Fotografia de Tomar), attended the Cortejo do Mordomo, the Cortejo Parcial dos Tabuleiros, and the Cortejo dos Tabuleiros [the Tray Parade]. About the latter, Maria Alice highlights: “Among several memorable moments of rare beauty, I remember the simultaneous lifting of all the trays, after the blessing, in the Republic Square. At the sound of bells, and after the indications of the mordoma, all the women raised the heavy trays in synchrony, made of bread and flowers, evoking the Holy Spirit. With one gesture, they symbolize the way this vibrant party, filled with colour, is made with the effort of a community.”
Pictures by Maria Alice Samara and Paula Godinho.
Outras Notícias
-
Rui Lopes is the new President of the Board of Directors -
'Armando de Lacerda Wing' opens on 17 September -
Under the theme ‘The Public History of Difficult Pasts’ -
"Ceci n’est Pas Francisco" is at MNAC and will extend to CCCV -
The Inscription I of the Church of Machico will serve as the theme for a series of cultural events -
He is one of the curators of the exhibition "Olhares Críticos no Arquivo Colonial – Sombras e Memórias" -
He will take part in the event ‘Desconstruir o Colonialismo: Entre Tradição e Revolução’ -
‘It is very important to keep the history of democracy in Portugal very much in the public consciousness’ -
The exhibition Eye(s) Open opened at the Eye Filmuseum -
Members of the FILMASPORA project team were in Praia for the Project’s First Workshop on Radical Creative Writing -
The Laboratoire des Études Romanes at Paris 8 University hosts the IHC researcher -
Between 2 and 31 March, at the Portuguese Cinematheque -
She is now a Visiting Researcher at CAST, University of Bologna -
Following elections held on 15 December 2025, the new governing bodies took office for the 2026-2028 term -
Applications are open until 16 February -
Will take office as a Full Member
Search
Events
Escolher mês
setembro, 2026
seg
ter
qua
qui
sex
sab
dom
-
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
News
IHC renews its governing bodies and coordination teams
Rui Lopes is the new President of the Board of Directors
PHONLAB gives rise to a permanent exhibition at the University of Coimbra
‘Armando de Lacerda Wing’ opens on 17 September
Lisbon is hosting the 8th International Conference on Public History
Under the theme ‘The Public History of Difficult Pasts’
