Butt

Does anybody know about the Easter Procession in Loule this year? I haven't been before and would like to go this year. Can you tell me dates, time and where.

Thanks Butt

bigglesafloat

The Loule Feira de Mae Soberana is in May where the have a procession from the town to the 'beehive' church and back is rather spectacular and worth seeing.
The Seville ceremonies at Easter are of course THE ones to see but must admit have yet to get there - hotels must be at a Premium.

Butt

Thanks for your information. I will look at Saville webb sites for info on their dates. Butt

Thurian

Don't know about the procession but how is Loule pronounced? I've heard it a few different ways and still not sure which is correct. I've heard it pronounced "Lew ell" , "Lewl" and "Lew lay"

bigglesafloat

We have have always pronounced LOU LAY with the emphasis on the LAY. I am sure thats how the locals say it.

scott909

Never Lew ell, an even mix between the other two!

TaviraTrog

Yep, I agree. The stress is indicated by the accent over the e and ou is pronounce o in Portuguese.

lapinha

As a resident of Loulé, please let me correct two misconceptions in these posts. First of all, the name of the town is pronounced with a long 'O', as in LOW LAY. The accent is on the second syllable as mentioned before.

Second -- Butt, the Mãe Soberana festival begins this weekend, not in May. It's a two-week festival, always starting on Easter Sunday, when the figure of Mãe Soberana is brought down from her sanctuary in the hilltop Igreja de Nossa Piedade to reside in the Igreja de São Francisco in the center of town. This is called the Festa Pequena, or Small Festival. For the next two weeks, the São Francisco Square will be lit up at night, to honor the presence of Nossa Senhora. Then comes the Festa Grande, which is always two weeks from Easter and is the one you've heard of. This is the triumphant return of the image back to her hilltop sanctuary, and takes all day. First she exits the Igreja de São Francisco at about 10 a.m. and is taken to the Pacheco Monument (by the park at the north end of town). There she will sit for half the day, while an open air Mass is conducted. Later in the afternoon, she is taken on her final tour through the center of Loulé, down the main avenue, through the São Francisco Square and then up the hill back to her sanctuary.

The Festa Grande is really something to see, and I can highly recommend it. I am decidedly not religious, but there is such a sense of community in this event that it feels welcoming to all.

Rui

Hello All

Loule is a beautiful place.

I always thought you pronounced it Loo..lair but try to say the lair rapid as le, I hope that doesn't confuse anyone.

Even tho I am Portuguese my Portuguese friends tell me I'm more Algarvian...can't win, foreign in the UK and also in Portugal

bigglesafloat

It is true that there is a strong Algarvian accent compared to rest of country. To pronouce Loule you must consult both a local and a Lisboa or Porto native to see the difference. Nobody North of the Algarve says ? ? Eh ! Pa! 'or 'obrigad' with no 'o' or 'a' on end.

jogl

Now here's a question - how do you pronounce your name 'Rui'? I guy I know from Porto with this name said it like 'Hughie' without the hew and sort of guttural like.

bigglesafloat

I woul say ' Rooeee' rolling the r of course ?

jogl

Not even close - more like grhhhwe

Rui

Damn....Hard question, thought about it for a while and I give up, people here pronounce it Rooee.

For the the accent in Algarve, I would say a slight tang of English

Here is a joke I heard in Portugal whilst I was travelling around Portugal, I stopped at a cafe with my British wife and whilst she ordered the coffee I went to the WC, when I got back there was 2 Portuguese old gentemen speaking to one another and then one started telling a joke and wrongly assumed I was English..... that was until I laughed at the joke.

Here it is.

2 farmers sitting on the wall and in the distance they see a couple walking towards them, 10 minutes later the couple approch the farmers and say "Buenos dias Senhors" they answer "Bom Dia" and as the couple leave, one farmer says to the other "what are Spanish people doing out here?", the other farmer says "I don't know?".
An hour later the farmers are still sitting on the wall and another couple is seen in the distance, 10 minutes later the couple approach the farmers and say "good morning, beautiful day" they answer "Bom Dia" and as the couple leave one farmer says to the other "what are Algarvian people doing out here?"