The Regional Director for Communities stated in Fall River, USA, that the Holy Spirit Festivities Route - Azores/Communities is "another tool to disseminate the Azores, their social and cultural diversity, and the Azorean People."
"This website allows us to go through dozens of Holy Spirit Festivities that take place on all Azorean islands and in the Diaspora that became the home of our emigrants," said Paulo Teves. The government official spoke Saturday at the House of the Azores of New England, where he presented the new website that brings together more than two hundred of the Holy Spirit Festivals in the Azores, Mainland Portugal, Canada, USA, Brazil, Bermuda and Venezuela.
The Holy Spirit Festivities Route - Azores/Communities, available at the address www.roteirodesazores.com, is an initiative of the Government, developed through the Regional Directorates for Communities, Culture and Tourism. This route aims to disseminate manifestations of the cult of the Holy Spirit which include historical information, illustrative photos and their evolution over the years. It also provides several contacts and the celebration dates.
"More than a mere route, it is also an important contribution to the dissemination of the history and cultural reality of the Azores and their Diaspora. Moreover, it is a tool designed to stimulate relations between the Azores and Azorean descendants, wherever they are," said Paulo Teves. In this context, the government official restated that "this significant manifestation of 'Azoreanity' contributes to the strengthening of the feeling of 'Portugueseness' in the world."
"This universal platform, accessible to anyone, will not only disseminate the diversity of our tourism offer, highlighting religious and cultural aspects, but also maintain this tradition among younger generations," said the Regional Director.
"For the Government, the implementation of this project is, likewise, a heartfelt tribute to the thousands of Azoreans who, being in the archipelago and in various parts of the globe, have maintained this tradition over the centuries," stressed Paulo Teves. The Regional Director added that one can find in this Route various festivities that have been held for over 200 years, as in Brazil, as well as a festival that was held for the first time this year, an initiative carried out by the community of Azorean-descent in Venezuela.
In addition to the Festivities, which are searchable via a search engine by country, province, state, city or town, the route features a section devoted to the history of the Holy Spirit cult in the Azores, including the concepts of the various symbols, the Holy Spirit anthem (audio) and the respective scores for philharmonic bands and choirs.
This new platform also provides several scientific papers on this topic, authored by researchers from Portugal, Brazil, Canada and USA, and features links to various areas of the Azores such as culture, tourism and investment opportunities.
In his speech, the Regional Director for Communities stressed that the work is not done because there are many festivals that should be included. The platform offers a space for the introduction of other Holy Spirit festivals, including the uploading of photos and videos. This "project is not bound to the limits of time and space."
"We believe this tool will contribute to the perpetuation of our legacy with future generations and will value our people in the Diaspora among all those who, not being the Azores, share the same geographical space," stated Paulo Teves.