St. Vincent's Day
St. Vincent's Day
St. Vincent's feast day is January 22. In Lisbon, people celebrate St. Vincent's Day with processions and prayers. But in the surrounding rural areas, there are a number of folk traditions associated with this day. Farmers believe that by carrying a resin torch to the top of a high hill on January 22, they can predict what the coming harvest will be like. If the wind extinguishes the flame, the crops will be abundant; if the torch continues to burn, a poor growing season lies ahead.
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FestWestEur-1958, p. 161
OxYear-1999, p. 45