February 2nd is known to many as the Day of the Stars, the day when the Baby Jesus was presented in the temple 40 days after Christmas, closing the Christmas cycle. And the night from the 1st to the 2nd of February is marked by the singing to the stars, a tradition that is very present in the Azores, especially in São Miguel, with the several groups of singers that go out to the streets to sing to the stars, remembering the past, when the faithful, in a procession of candles and prayer, asked Our Lady for a good year of sowing and fishing.
In the municipality of Ribeira Grande, this tradition is strongly associated to the cult to Our Lady of the Star, patroness of the municipality, where beyond all the religious celebration, the singing to the stars through the streets of the city is something very characteristic in this municipality, that gathers hundreds of people and groups of singers that sing diversified songs, having only in common the devotion to Our Lady of the Star.
In this year of 2022, due to the pandemic situation, the Cantar às Estrelas (Singing to the Stars) in Ribeira Grande will be carried out in a virtual mode, being able to reach everyone and in a safe way, being transmitted live through the Facebook of Ribeira Grande City Hall, in the night of the 1st of February.
This is a tradition that extends to other municipalities, namely Ponta Delgada, Vila Franca do Campo, Lagoa, where the conviviality between the participants and the true essence of “Cantar às Estrelas” are not forgotten.
Last modified: 1 de February, 2022
