Festa das Fogaceiras

The city of Santa Maria de Feira is located in the Portuguese district of Aveiro. It belongs to the greater metropolitan area of Oporto. According to the local belief Saint Sebastian saved the city from plague. That is why the people of this city made a vow to organize the festival called Festa das fogaceiras. It is held on the 20th of January. The tradition is over five centuries old. The first festival was held in 1505. There was no festival between 1749 and 1753. New plague outbreak brought the tradition back to life. Since then it has been organized regularly.

The procession includes floats of Saint Sebastian and Our Lady. Dozens of girls in white dresses and red or blue wide belts participate in the procession. They carry castle-shaped sweet bread called Fogaça. There are two paper flags on each bread. They carry them from the City Hall to the church.