JULY 2, 2019 – Yesterday my wife and I returned from a 12-day sojourn in Portugal. It was an expanded version of our visit there a year ago. Last year the main objective was to meet our younger son’s future in-laws, António and Marie-Helena. This year the central purpose was the ceremony that would make them in-laws.
Surrounding the ceremony—performed in the ancient church of the ancient village of Cortiços, south of Bragança in the extreme northeast corner of the country (see my 6/18 entry)—was an extravaganza with no match in my experience in the matrimonial realm.
Two of the signature events—a sardine barbecue the day before the wedding and the wedding dinner itself—took place on the grounds of what I call “Grande Casa”—a handsome, spacious place that António and Marie-Helena built themselves over many years. The place lies about a mile outside the village of Cortiços. Surrounded by expansive grounds, the home is perched on a hillside with a commanding view of the valley below. Straight out from the large balcony of the residence, you can see Cernadela, the twin sister of Cortiços. The wedding reception was held in the family’s olive grove right across the road from “Grande Casa.”
The marriage festival, spanning three days, was planned and executed with flair, imagination, and an abundance of hard labor. Upon our arrival two days before the festivities, we were put straight to work without credit for jet lag. We toiled alongside the many others who would make the occasion a resounding success. My wife, no shrinking violet, saw immediately where help was needed and plunged in without hesitation. I required more direction, which was duly supplied.
As much as I wanted to photograph the beautiful surroundings and visit with the several other early guests at “Grand Casa,” I soon learned that if one expected to be included in beer breaks, one needed to stay on task. My assignments included: the sign-painting-and-placement detail, the decoration detail, the carry-large-stones-from-one-end-of-the-grounds-to-the-rim-of-the-decorative-pond detail, the pluck-olive-tree-leaves–for-filling-large-paper-cones-for-each-guest-to-toss-(in lieu of rice)-over-the-newlyweds-as-they-exited-the-church detail, the snipping-short-suckers-off-olive-trees-to add-to-the-centerpieces detail, the-labeling-of-small-bottles-of-olive-oil-as-gifts-for-the-guests detail, the hay-bale-loading-unloading-positioning-in-the-olive-grove-for-reception-detail, and the cut-some-fresh-flowers-off-the-beautiful-bushes-along-the-driveway (for the wrought-iron arches over the entrance to the grounds) detail.
Around us the catering people and other workers scurried about. All seemed well acquainted with one another and with our gracious hosts. Much had to be done. I felt as though we were the crew aboard a large cruise ship heading full-steam for port. We had to ready the ship for an on-time arrival, no excuses. Punctuating all the commotion was a steady stream of commands and counter-commands in robust Portuguese punctuated with plenty of hearty laughter. I observed in these people a strong work ethic but also big hearts and affection for one another and graciousness toward us foreigners with uncalloused hands.
When “show-time” arrived, all the cheerful chaos was transformed into what felt like a beautiful film. My next post will serve as a trailer for the movie, Paradise in Portugal.
© 2019 Eric Nilsson
