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Jan 19
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Motorcycle to be raffled in Seixal festivities

By Nearby 880 Comments

The second festivity of the year is coming up, the feast of Santo Antão, in Seixal. They will take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with activities ranging from folklore, the band, a light orchestra and an animal auction, besides various raffles, in which one may even win a scooter.

The feast of Santo Antão takes place two days after Santo Amaro, who took thousands to Santa Cruz.

Unlike the Santa Cruz feast, the one in Seixal is always moved to the following weekend, as a means of attracting more people to the event, and thus bolster the local economy. The feast is to start on Friday, at 20h00, and go on all the way to Sunday afternoon, with stalls of food and beverages, with all the joy that Madeirans impress on their festivities.

Jan 18
Love0

The Theatre is going to be Frozen

By Nearby 62 Comments

The Escola de Dança do Funchal was right on target for the reopening of “Frozen”. It is the same piece with which it closed last year’s curricula, and that made some two thousand people very happy.

The musical is based on the film “Frozen”, from the Disney studios, and the actors are the students of the various courses of the school, aged between 3 and 18, who “sing” the adventure on stage – with theatre, classical dancing and contemporary dancing.

Despite the low temperatures expected outside the Theatre, the school’s promise is that the hearts of those watching will be warmed in the various schedules.

 

Venue:

Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias

 

Schedules (general public):

Friday, January 20th: 19h00

Saturday, January 21st: 16h00 and 19h00

Sunday, January 22nd: 15h00 and 18h00

 

Schedules (schools):

Thursday, January 19th: 10h00 and 15h00

Friday, January 20th: 10h00

 

Tickets:

General public: 9,50€

Children (< 11 years old and students from Escola de Dança do Funchal): 5,00€

School groups (or others, following reservation), with two escorts: 3,00€ This value is applied only on the school sessions, and valid only if previously reserved: secretaria.escoladancafunchal@gmail.com | 960411951 | 291236701)

Jan 17
Love0

Funchal council promotes equality

By Nearby 2.252 Comments

For the third consecutive year, Funchal council promotes the Premio Municipal Maria Aurora (PMMA – Maria Aurora Municipal Prize). All those over 16 years old can apply, and turn in a work about gender equality, and they will be in the running for a 3 thousand euro prize.

The PMMA was created in 2014 by the Funchal council to promote and develop work pursuing equality, thus perpetuating the name of the journalist and writer, recognized by all as a great defender of women’s rights.

Madalena Nunes, the councilwoman responsible for gender equality, stresses that “this is always a special opportunity to remember Maria Aurora, a multi faceted woman, but always so active in the actions pertaining gender equality”, adding the wishes that this third edition “will see an increase in the number of people participating, as was seen last year, with the doubling of people taking part, thus echoing these themes, which are so important in our society”.

The regulations pertaining the prizes, and all the necessary details, have been published in the council’s website.

 

Jan 16
Love0

Panelo is on January 29th

By Nearby 4.568 Comments

foto: seixalterralinda

For many Madeirans, the end of the Christmas season comes, not with the Santo Amaro feast, but with the yearly “panelo”.

Let us explain the concept: the “panelo” feast is one of the oldest traditions in Seixal, in the north of Madeira.

This gathering of families and friends has taken place for many generations, and is specifically held at Chão da Ribeira. The site, a small section of paradise hidden between two mountains, is one of the most remote in Madeira, and is the getting together of two huge stretches of greenery – one on each slope, that occasionally open to let sunlight in.

The “panelo”, transformed through the years in a social event that most people won’t miss, is a meal based on vegetables and meat preserves, but in many cases has been transformed into a huge Portuguese-style stew, served on towels spread over the tables brought out from the stalls existing there.

There’s no fixed date for the “panelo”, but it is always on the first Sunday after the Santo Antão feasts. This year this means January 29th.

 

Jan 05
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Funchal protects its heritage

By Nearby, Our Islands 4.432 Comments

photo: Madeira Antiga

After having today decided to classify as “council heritage” a number of bridges in the city (Ponte Nova and Ponte D. Manuel, over ribeira de Santa Luzia, and the Ponte de São Paulo, over ribeira de São João, the Funchal council is preparing to protect six other structures.

Funchal inhabiltants and visitors will thus be able to see the council’s protection being extended, in the name of public interest, to the bridges of Ribeiro Seco and Praia Formosa, the recently uncovered fortress of São Filipe, on the Funchal seafront, as well as sections of the river embankments both in ribeira de Santa Luzia (from Quinta Deão to the D. Manuel bridge) and ribeira João Gomes (between Campo da Barca and the city market), these segments having been constructd in the 19th century by brigadeiro Oudinot.

It’s a giant’s step in the preservation of the built heritage of the capital, where – here and there – one can find signs of its five hundred years’ history, but which will no longer count with ponte da Saude, over ribeira Santa Luzia, demolished in August as part of the works in progress.

The city of Funchal is crossed by three rivers, and over the centuries bridges have been built to ease the flow of people through the city. To the older ones, built in stone, newer ones have been added, taking some of its importance, but certainly none of the architectural beauty. With their “beds” of multi-coloured bougainvillea, the bridges and the rivers they crossed have been photographed by thousands of people. A big step was taken to preserve this heritage. Others will follow suit…

Jan 04
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Porto Santo also welcomes the Kings

By Nearby One Comment

The “Reis” (kings) are also sung in Porto Santo.

The council of Porto Santo has organized a “Noite de Reis”, which is to take place on January 5th at the largo do Pelourinho, right in the town centre.

The event is to start at 22h00, with the inputs from four different groups, from the various areas of the island. The first is Centro Social e Cultural da Camacha, at 22h1\5 it will be the turn of Associação Cultural e Recreativa do Espirito Santo, at 22h30 the stage will be taken by Grupo de Cantares da Cidade, and the closing is to be made by the Grupo Folclorico do Porto Santo at 22h45.

Everything is thus prepared for a different evening, very much in line with what has been the strategy of the council, of spreading events throughout the all year.

Jan 03
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Funchal is to be 2019’s European Green Capital

By Nearby, Our Islands One Comment

The city of Funchal was selected to be the 2019 European Green Capital, an award promoted by the European Commission. The analysis of the good practices is to be completed until April.

The award, valid for that year, focuses on cities with environmental practices that are simultaneously exemplary, innovative and sustainable, with two Portuguese cictes – Funchal and Lisbon – in the final list. The list gathers fourteen cities from Italy, Romania, Belgium, Albania, Finland, Norway, Hungary, Spain, France, Estonia, Poland and Portugal.

The Commission is now going to evaluate future initiatives and the practices developed by the finalists until April 2017, the prize being awarded every year, but the application taking place three years in advance. The city has to be prepared to answer to twelve items in this challenge: to mitigate and adapt to climate changes, urban transport, urban green areas that include the sustainable use of the land; nature and biodiversity, quality of the air, production and management of waste, management of water, waste water treatment, eco-innovation and sustainable jobs, performance of the energy sector and integrated environmental management.

Jan 02
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“Janeiras” coming up next

By Nearby 1.199 Comments

foto: visitmadeira

People are now fine tuning their voices for the “Cantar os Reis” (celebrate the kings).

This is to take place next Thursday, at the Funchal city garden auditorium, with several groups getting together to close the Madeiran “fest”, even though in some cases it is to go on until the Santo Amaro.

On January 5th space will be short for all the enthusiasts to listen to the traditional “Reis” tunes, especially as it is usually a packed house, starting at 20h00.

Entitled “Cantar os Reis, Cantar as Janeiras” and organized by the Associação das Casas do Povo da Região Autónoma da Madeira, the event concentrates hundreds of people in the city centre, thus closing the Christmas calendar. But very close to its venue, in the Avenida Arriaga, the stalls will go on until Sunday.