IDES Freeport Clarksburg FESTA

I participated in the annual Freeport Trinity Sunday Portuguese FESTA. The festivities began when the community met at the I.D.E.S. Hall on River Road at 10:00 am. From there we all paraded as a procession down River Road to Saint Josephs Church about 1mile away. The road was shut down for this with the assistance Yolo County’s finest. Community service police officers as well as the fire department stopped the traffic for this beautiful parade, which revolves around «Trinity Sunday» in honor of the «Holy Spirit.» I enjoyed this event not only because of the what it stands for (Trinity Sunday) but because of how the Freeport community gathers together each year for this important event. I was amazed at how many groups from all over Northern California came together to celebrate their fundamental beliefs and to break bread. Local residents told me that the Freeport Festa has been going on for many years and it started when the Portuguese immigrated from Portugal and ended up in northern California.
At the Freeport Festa I lavished in the authentic Portuguese craftwork and pottery by perusing through all the booths. For a split second I imagined being in the Alfama of Portugal once again. I was delighted to find the booth with authentic Ceramic roosters.. I purchased a new Portuguese Rooster as the one I brought back from Portugal fell off a shelf during a rather vigorous earthquake and cracked in two. Anywhooo, after shopping through the open air booths I found a bench under t he shady trees and watched different Portuguese chapters arrive and hustle and bustle with getting their communities little ones ready for the parade.
it was quite delightful to watch the little girls getting ready with their hair being arranged into beautiful up dos and watching the concerned faces of their mothers as they hovered over their daughters making sure they would not sit down and mess up their beautiful jewel encrusted dresses. The parent of the 3 darling little girls from the Elk Grove chapter (in picture) shared with me how the entire community rallies together to create the dresses and that everything is hand made.
Interesting Factoid: I was told by a parent that the Festa costuming can cost up to $ 1700.00, which is why the community gets involved in selecting which girls will participate in the Festa. Additionally, each chapter does its own fundraising provides financial support to the families of the little girls who get selected.

After the parade and ceremony, we all paraded back as a recessional to the I.D.E.S. hall to enjoy an authentic meal called Sopes. My friend told me that the Portuguese have been cooking for this annual Festa for several years and they are expert at seasoning the beef to perfection. I also discovered that nobody really knows what is put in the seasoning as the ingredients and recipes get handed down through generations of Portuguese. The food was amazing and everything was home made. And the Portuguese sweet bread was still warm and so very delicious as it was warm and fluffy in the middle and simply delightful when dipped in the broth from the succulent beef.