The mayor, who was speaking at Ponta Delgada City Council as part of the press conference to present the program for the 21st edition, declared that the parties “represent a very important manifestation of the identity of the people of the Azores”.

“These are festivals of the people for the people, with a great feeling of sharing, of solidarity, honouring a centuries-old tradition that was passed down to us by our ancestors”, declared Pedro Nascimento Cabral.

This year the initiative is budgeted at around 240 thousand euros.

The Festas do Divino Espírito Santo in Ponta Delgada mobilize thousands of people in the different parishes of the municipality, bringing together hundreds of volunteers who are involved in its logistics.

These festivals celebrated on all the islands of the archipelago, with a religious and a secular aspect, take place every year on the seventh Sunday after Easter, that is, on Pentecost Sunday.

Included in the tradition are traditional soups distributed free of charge among the population, as a symbol of solidarity and sharing.