The three young women chosen to reign over the Holy Ghost and St. Anthony Portuguese Festa in Princeton were radiant on Sunday, and the Portuguese fare served as the noon meal tasted the same as it has for more than 100 years.
The festa, which was skipped two years in a row because of the pandemic, celebrated the old traditions of Portugal that were handed down to the descendants of mostly Azorean people who settled throughout the Central Valley of California in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The legend of the Holy Ghost Festa dates back to when Queen Isabella (St. Elizabeth) and King Diniz ruled Portugal during the great famine of Europe in the early 1300s.
The Portuguese believe the queen prayed for her starving people and as a result, three lost ships came into port filled with grain and supplies, which helped bring an end to the starvation.
The story of the queen’s miracles being celebrated with a feast and her crowning of a “poor” girl for the day gave rise to the Festa tradition, which is carried out to this day in the Azores and in America.
For young, Catholic girls of Portuguese descent, being selected Big Queen is not only a thrill, but a lifelong dream.
Although nervous her large crown would make her fall backwards, 2022 Queen Sydnee Wilson said she was excited to see the Festa return this year.
“I’ve been looking forward to being Big Queen for as long as I can remember,” said Wilson, 17, the daughter of Danielle and Robert Wilson, of Maxwell.
Wilson shared the role of Big Queen with the two young ladies who would have reigned during the 2020 and 2021 celebrations, had they not been canceled.
Wilson, who will be a senior next year at Maxwell High School, said she was delighted to have the other girls at her side, rather than sidemaids, especially since 2021 Queen Bailee Haywood is one of her best friends.
Haywood, 16, the daughter of Kelly and Marc Haywood, of Maxwell, would have reigned last year had the pandemic not stretched into a second summer. The two girls grew up in the small town and have long celebrated the Festa with their families, serving either as Little Queens or sidemaids.
Haywood, who will be a junior, said sharing the reign with Wilson was wonderful.
“I’m just excited that everything is back and we get to do this again,” Haywood said.
Madison Fonseca, 19, of Orland, who was chosen Big Queen by lottery in 2020 at the very onset of the pandemic, said she was happy not only to have her reign but to be back in Princeton to celebrate her Portuguese heritage and culture with her family, who have been involved with the Festa tradition for many years.
“It feels really good to get to have this,” said Fonseca, now starting her third year at college. “In 2020, that was my high school graduation year, so not only did I lose Festa, I also lost graduation.”
Fonseca is the daughter of Tristan and Ben Parkerson and Dan Fonseca Jr., and had served as sidemaid to 2019 Big Queen Sophia Stocks, 20, who also returned to the Festa on Sunday to finally crown her successor after three years.
Stocks, now in college, is the daughter of Kimberly and Steven Stocks, of Princeton.
The 2022 Little Queen was Finlee Mendes, 10, of Salinas. She is the daughter of Brad and Gabby Mendes.
Her side maids were her sister, Fallyn Mendes, 7, and Chloe Moore, 9, of Willows.
Moore is the daughter of Gary Moore and Casey Moore.
The Holy Ghost and St. Anthony Portuguese Festa served hundreds of people a traditional Portuguese meal of seasoned roast beef, sopas and potato salad.
Prior to the meal, the Princeton queens and royalty from the Chico and Orland festas were joined by others sharing Portuguese heritage and culture in a parade from the Portuguese Hall to St. Joseph for Mass. ■