Portuguese Festival & Parade in Sausalito May 31
Date: Sunday, May 31, 2009
Time: 9:45 AM — Parade leaves I.D.E.S.S.T. Hall
10:30 AM — Mass at Star of the Sea Church
1:00 PM — Lunch, followed by music & dancing at IDESST Hall
Place: I.D.E.S.S.T. Hall, 511 Caledonia St., Sausalito CA 94965
Portuguese settlers played an important role in the early history of Marin County and Sausalito. One 19th century Sausalito Portuguese organization, the Irmandade Do Espirito Santo e da Santissima Trindade (abbreviated as I.D.E.S.S.T., translated as The Brotherhood of the Holy Ghost and Blessed Trinity) continues in operation today. This coming Sunday is their annual parade and Festival of the Holy Ghost, starting at the I.D.E.S.S.T. Hall on Caledonia St. at 9:45 AM. The event kicks off Portuguese Week, which is being celebrated all across California.
This festival dates back here to 1887, and originally came from the Azores (Acores), Portuguese islands in the Atlantic Ocean. 125 years ago the Festival might last for two weeks and included a parade down Filbert Ave. (up the hill from Caledonia) with young ladies portraying the 14th century Portuguese Queen Isabel, who extended help to the poor, and her attendants. Cattle bedecked with flowers were driven through the streets of Sausalito (which were not paved) to be blessed by the priest before becoming part of the menu at the symbolic feast. After 1900 the Festival came to be called the Chamarita, a traditional Portuguese folk dance.
The Filbert St. home of those early celebrations is now the First Baptist Church of Sausalito. The current I.D.E.S.S.T. Hall was built on Caledonia St. in 1954. When you watch this parade you’re seeing a deeply rooted tradition from Sausalito history.
More details are available on the I.D.E.S.S.T. website. On the map below the I.D.E.S.S.T. Hall is “A” and the Star of the Sea Church is “B”.
Google Map Instructions: Use the “+” and “-” buttons to zoom in and out, the arrow keys to scroll the map, and the SAT button to see the satellite view.
Copyright (c) 2009, OurSausalito.com. All Rights Reserved.
