"It has always been a very free celebration, very much of the people, very much of personal initiative and here in the Azores we lived the principles of the French Revolution long before the French Revolution itself. The Holy Spirit is freedom, fraternity and equality," says Father Júlio Rocha in statements to Lusa.

In the parish of Cinco Ribeiras, on Terceira Island, on the eve of the Bodo, celebrated on the Sundays of Pentecost and of the Holy Trinity, there is a sharing of "alms" of meat, bread and wine by all the inhabitants.

Saturday Mass is still going on and, in the square in the centre of the parish, several people are placing more than 200 "alms" on wooden benches.

For a symbolic value (10 euros), each family receives about three kilos of beef, a sweet bread and a bottle of wine, in addition to a bread for each person in the household.

João Cunha is sitting on a bench watching his son do a job he did for decades. His health no longer allows him to "help as he used to," but he still experiences the festival "with great pleasure."

He was the "procurador" (who organises the festival) for 48 years, saw his children follow in his footsteps and believes that his 15-year-old grandson will do so too.

"It's a tradition that we've had for many years," he emphasises.

Isa Soares and her husband were drawn as the "procuradores" of the 1st Bodo of 2023. They accepted "out of respect and devotion to the Lord Holy Spirit." "For us, it would be impossible to say no," she assumes.

"It was rewarding. It's a lot of work, but you see the unity that exists in the community and the faith that exists in the Lord Holy Spirit. At the end, our hearts are full," she adds.

Cláudia Silva has been helping to organise the festival for six years. She spent the night from Friday to Saturday preparing the alms and Sunday lunch, with 20 other people.

She gets emotional when she remembers the day she was invited to be a "procuradora": "When the crown of the Holy Spirit is presented to us in front, of course we can't say no, because it's magical. It's a feeling that words can't describe."

"I feel that when it's for the Holy Spirit, people unite more and do it with more pleasure. I feel a very good energy," adds Sara Martins, sister-in-law of this year's "procuradores."

She has been living in Florida, in the United States of America, for seven years and, although the emigrant community maintains the traditions, she guarantees that nothing compares to experiencing the festival at home.

"It helps to kill the longing for the Holy Spirit soups, but being here is completely different," she emphasises.

At the end of the Mass, the philharmonic orchestra plays and the priest blesses the alms. Three rockets call the rest of the population, but the square is not as full as in the past. The parish today has about 680 inhabitants. They are increasingly fewer and older.

Luís Leal, president of the parish council and clerk of the Bodo since 2018, guarantees that the number of cards sold for the alms has not decreased and argues that the festival has its continuity assured.

"The Holy Spirit is a question of faith, of commitment and of dedication of the people. I think it's a tradition that won't end in the Azores in the short term. Young people don't get involved as much, but they participate," he points out.

In addition to the distribution of bread, meat and wine, the festival includes a lunch, with the traditional Holy Spirit soups and the "alcatra" (rump steak) of Terceira Island, but also musical entertainment and bullfights.

The helpers, who receive about 15 kilos of meat, contribute with amounts between 150 and 300 euros - some even more - or with the raising of cattle, but, although the festival still moves the population, the accounts are increasingly difficult to balance.

"We have maintained the same quality [of the alms], prices are rising and those who help also cannot help as much as they would sometimes like," explains Luís Leal.

The delivery of the alms is made in the presence of a crown and a banner, symbols of the Holy Spirit, which the "procuradores" Sara and André carry.

While waiting for his turn, Francisco Álvares says that he participates to "keep alive the faith" he has in the Holy Spirit and that already "is part of tradition."

"There are no words to describe what it's like to have the Holy Spirit at home," he emphasises.

For Nélia Evangelho, the Bodo meat always has a different taste. "It's different from the one you buy," she says.

She no longer lives in the parish, but maintains the faith that was passed on to her by her parents and that she intends to pass on to her children. "I always liked this meat and this bread. I continue to come here to the Bodo," she explains.

Father Júlio Rocha argues that the Holy Spirit Festivals represent equality, because they do not distinguish between rich and poor, who "wear the same clothes, eat at the same table, drink wine from the same glass, eat the same food, receive and give alms in the same way."

They are also fraternity, because they have "the gift of giving to the poor." "The alms that are here come from a tradition that was to feed those who needed to feed their children and didn't have it," he says.

And they are freedom, because "the spirit is air" and "no one can imprison the Holy Spirit." "This devotion to the Holy Spirit is one of the most beautiful things at a religious level in the Azores," he stresses.

Júlio Rocha is not the parish priest of Cinco Ribeiras, but he has no doubt that the tradition will continue, in this and other parishes of the Azores, also because there are "increasingly more young people participating."

"The Holy Spirit has such a great and powerful force in the Azores, that even atheists are devotees of the Holy Spirit," he concludes.

Leia Também: Bárbara Bandeira, Fernando Daniel e Quinta do Bill nas festas de Vila Real (Portuguese version)