PRINCETON, CA (MPG) – The small river town of Princeton pulsed with heritage, music, and faith as the Portuguese community came together on June 29 to celebrate more than a century of tradition.
The Princeton Portuguese Festa and Holy Ghost Festival honors the rich traditions brought to California by Azorean immigrants over a century ago, said Chairman Travis Medes.
The Princeton Festa began in 1914 and has been held annually at the Princeton Portuguese Hall on the last Sunday in June since 1921.
The festival honors both St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) and Queen Isabella of Portugal (1271-1336), also known as Elizabeth of Aragon, wife of King Denis, and canonized St. Elizabeth of Portugal on June 24, 1625 by Pope Urban VIII.
The stories of the Holy Ghost Festival and the Portuguese queen, also known as “Isabel the Peacemaker” are beautiful, people said at Sunday’s festa. Legend holds that during Isabel’s reign, three ships carrying grain were blown off course and into the Lisbon harbor to bring an end to the great famine that had plagued Europe from 1315 to 1317, Mendes said. As part of the legend, the queen, who had prayed for a miracle, placed a crown on a poor girl’s head and declared a day of feasting and celebration.
“It’s exciting,” said Big Queen Elle Milne. ““The queen wanted all people to have food.”
Little has changed about the festa in the century it has been held in Princeton.
“It’s the coming of the Holy Spirit, celebrating basically a miracle back in the 14th century that we celebrate today,” said Mendes, who heads a committee of about 30 volunteers.
The festa consisted of a parade, Mass, dancing, live auction, and two meals of traditional roast beef and sopas.
As is customary, the highlight was the crowning of a Big Queen and Little Queen for the Day, young girls from the community chosen to represent grace, faith, and cultural pride.
Dressed in traditional white and adorned with crowns and capes, the queens paraded, accompanied by family members, along with the queens and sidemaids of other festas, flag bearers, and children depicting significant characters in Portuguese history.
Milne is the daughter of Mark and Jennifer Stokes Milne, of Willows. Her sidemaids were her twin sister, Reese, and Chelsea Perman, daughter of Steven and Corey Permann.
Fallyn Mendes, daughter of Brad and Gabby Mendes, was Little Queen. Her sidemaids were Paisley Pacheco, daughter of Anthony Pacheco and Catt George, and Cora Langerwerf, the daughter of Leigh and Cassi Langerwerf.
Also in the parade, Lexi Taylor, 11, portrayed the pious Queen Isabel, as a last-minute replacement. Taylor is the daughter of John and Mallory Tayler, of Willows.
Clay Stokes, 10, son of Thomas and Jacquline Stokes, of Orland, portrayed St. Anthony.
Both St. Elizabeth and St. Anthony are revered in the Catholic faith for their dedication to the poor.