Today we took from the trunk an excerpt from the novel “Quando um Anjo Peca” by Fareleira Gomes (edition of C. M. Aveiro, 2001), a novel that takes place in Alfeizerão in the period of the twilight of the monarchy, and whose reading we strongly recommend. Of this work, there is a copy autographed by the author in the Local Fund of the library and another four copies in the general fund of the library that can be requested by interested readers.
«Leaving the “Vila de Ló” manor and walking about five hundred meters, you entered an area of the estate where you could meditate. There, a small garden was created that conveyed the soul of its gardener. Flowers of many species lent the place a dazzling color and a strong and appetizing scent of nature.
«Well protected from all the agricultural turmoil, there was silence, and the people who had the privilege of visiting it, were at peace with themselves and with others. In a deep recollection, there was always the consoling sound of the distant ringing of the bells of the chapel of Santo Amaro, the buzzing of bees in search of that peaceful pollen, the sporadic squeak of the wheels of an ox cart, which passed by in the distance, the croaking of frogs. that proliferated in a tiny couple, the “Casal das Frogs”, which housed half a dozen houses, not far from there. That garden provided color and country joy to the funereal sadness of a tiny cemetery that was just a short distance away. Six leafy oaks guarded the memory of those buried there».
The first of Cadernos do Baú presents a narrative in verse with a popular feature about the History of Alfeizerão that is due to an author of Macalhona, José Câncio, also known as José Catarino.
The purpose of starting these Cadernos is to produce some small publications dedicated to a specific theme within a broader theme, which could be, for example, a historical text, a poem or a legend with a local background or a newspaper article from that few will remember.
Although almost everything revolves around electronic media and platforms, these Cadernos are designed to have a limited physical existence with printed sheets stapled in the style of a newspaper, which can be read in the library of the Espaço Cultural Baú das Memórias, not discarding the possibility of placing a copy of each of the Cadernos in other public places such as the Casa do Povo, Parish Council, Social and Parish Center or Misericórdia de Alfeizerão.
The path will dictate the steps that follow.
Attached file:
«[Rugas sits down at the kitchen table] The mata-bicho comes slowly, slower and reduced than the descending procession of the human throng that reverently comes from the hills, wearing clothes to see the Lord: the richest make it heard on the road the trot of horseshoes, the wheels of the buggy hit the pavement, an old woman is sitting sideways on the donkey's packsaddle, as tired as she is; the boys look crazy, vertiginously descending in bicycle competition. But the bulk of the column comes on foot, in a continuous procession, beating the rhythm of the metallic protectors placed on the new shoes to avoid wear and tear.
«Calapeiros call them, and nobody knows why, having lost the memory of the rude feeding practice of sailors, when the sea turtle eaten on board in its own shell was a source of protein and vitamins! The 17th century saw the end of the Discoveries and led to the settlement of seafarers on the hills: the calapê meal was thrown on the abundant turtles in the Marete sapeiros – the archaic shell toads of memory.
«The coming of the calape eaters come through the forks of the valley, along the slopes of the abbey mill, muddy and stony. Arriving at the intersection with the royal road, where, according to the ancients, the stagecoaches used to change horses between Caldas and Alcobaça, the marriageable girls change their shoes. The mothers unwrap their Sunday shoes from their aprons and, with their left hands resting on each other's shoulders, proceed with the operation. The leather shoes, suitable for paths and work, are left to dry on a stone wall, a vestige, say the presumptive, of the Moorish pipeline that once supplied the castle with water».
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