THE LEGENDARY LOVE STORY

 

Gelásio plays a key role in the legend of Ardinga, daughter of the Muslim emir of Lamego. Whether she really exchanged glances with Don Tedon or simply fell in love with the tales of her daring exploits, it is not possible to specify. In any case, her love for him grew so much that, in the dead of night, she fled her father's castle, accompanied by a trusted maid, determined to marry her beloved, who happened to be far away, campaigning against the infidels.

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Along their way, through the treacherous scenery, until the Castle of Cabriz, the two women arrived at the hermitage of São Pedro das Águias, less than a league from Dom Tedon's house. Having explained to Gelasius the reasons for his presence in that wilderness, he persuaded them to convert to Christianity.

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Despite Ardinga's baptism, the wedding never took place. Al-Boazan, her enraged father, pursued her closely and, when he found her, strangled her, throwing the corpse into the waters of the river Távora. In the middle of the river, a solitary and pale stone marks the place where his body ended up resting. Local wisdom says that the fact that this “Penedo or Cova da Moira” is covered by water is a harbinger of a particularly rainy year.

 

 

Dom Tedon's reaction to Ardinga's death varies according to the origin of the narrative. According to one version, the warrior, with a broken heart, buried the mutilated body of the beloved in the place where the Chapel of São Pedro das Águias now stands and elevated the old hermitage to the category of monastery. According to another version, he transformed his inconsolable sadness into unrestrained rage, heroically perishing in combat against the enemy enemies, in Paredes.

According to the Cistercian Chronicles, by Fr. Bernardo de Brito, the main source of information about the early years of the Monastery of São Pedro das Águias, the hermitage will have turned into a monastery after the death of Don Tedon.

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THE STATUE OF SÃO PEDRO

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The first monks of São Pedro das Águias belonged to the Benedictine Order and it is not clear exactly when they exchanged black robes for white habits and austere religious practices, typical of the Cistercian Order. This exchange may have occurred when moving to the new location, or even beforehand. Strongly connected to the land, among other activities, the monks were responsible for introducing the culture of the vine, as they did in other regions.

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Over the centuries, the new monastery of São Pedro das Águias has gone into serious decline, to the point of leading pilgrims to write about the shocking conditions they encountered in the 16th century. As a consequence of the Council of Trent, the monastery was completely rebuilt in the 17th century in the new style of fashion, the Baroque. Under the subsequent patronage of Queen Maria Pia, the religious complex flourished until the enactment, in 1834, of legislation that abolished and confiscated all Portuguese monasteries.

 

 

In 1836, the monastery had been looted by the local population and partially destroyed by fire. Ruins stones were used to build some of the structures that we can see today. The few remaining documents and content were sold off a few years later.

Something that the attackers were unable to take was the statue of St. Peter, which remains in the niche of the church to this day. Legend has it that when the crowd tried to remove it, the ground began to shake. This terrifying event gave weight to the notion that nothing would escape intact if the image of the saint was removed. Consequently, he has been at peace ever since.

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THE MOURA FROM THE SMOKE BRIDGE

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Next to the Távora River, at Ponte do Fumo, there is a fraga that the people call Fraga da Moura. The elders said that the bridge was built by the Moors in one night. When they were forced to flee with the persecution of Christians, the Moors left behind an enchanted Moorish. Taking care of the children - they say.

 

There are those who have seen her sing from a distance.

 

It is said that from the waist upwards she is a beautiful woman, of a beauty never before seen or imagined. But from the waist down it is a snake, and the children are like it.

 

To see it only if it is from afar, because if it sees people, it hides. What is certain is that no one dares to go there to the middle of the great fragas that exist there, and swimming would also take great courage, as there are those who say that there is a whirlpool of water and that whoever is there is sucked into the water. well bottoms.

 

A similar creature has already been seen, they say, in Sabroso - they call her a snake woman and she appears in a cave that goes from Sabroso to Santa Leocádia.

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THE EIRA WHERE THE WITCHES WILL GET RUSHED

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In the so-called Eira do Monte, in Paradela, the oldest were said to be the place where the witches went to rub themselves. At the time, and we speak of times not very remote, they said that there were many witches but they were unknown. He or she was suspicious of this or that because of a stranger attitude or behavior, but there was no evidence.

 

One day, a man said to a friend:

- Look, your wife is a witch, that's what they say. If I were you, stay tuned.

- Witch, my wife? Never! Nor have I ever heard such a thing from anyone.

- Of course you didn't hear it, nor were you ever going to say it. I tell you because I am your friend and it is to warn you.

 

The man, of course, was apprehensive and began to pay more attention to the woman's habits. One night, pretending to be asleep, he noticed the woman getting up from the bed and, sitting on the bed, in front of him saying:

 

I bless you, Beelzebub

With the diapers in my ass

Until I come

Don't you wake up!

 

After this prayer, he got dressed and left.

 

When she returned, her husband was still awake, and when he saw her undress to lie down again, he noticed that his tail was all burnt ...

 

The other day he commented to his friend:

 

Yes, she is a witch,

Now I'm spun

I looked at her well

And your ass is all burnt

 

Hence the people started to believe that the witches were going to rub themselves in the Eira do Monte.

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THE LEGEND OF THE THREE COVINES

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On the outskirts of Sendim, on the way to the chapel of Nossa Senhora do Bom Despacho, we can still find today the Cabeço das Três Covinhas. The population of Sendim calls this fraga the "stool of the Child Jesus", while that of Cabriz calls it the "seat of the Moorish king".

 

In Sendim it is believed that the three pits drawn on the fraga are the benches where Our Lady, Saint Joseph and Baby Jesus sat when they passed by. Actually, two of them are bigger than the other, much smaller, which would be the Boy's. Next to it, there is the Menino's bathtub - a pit where people say it was where Our Lady used to bathe the Boy.

 

For Cabriz, the interpretation of this boulder is quite different: according to legend, those benches etched in the rock would be where a Moorish king and his family sat. The largest seat would be that of the king and it was from there that he governed the lands and gave orders to his subjects. The legend also says that in those headlands is a great treasure that will only be found when the rocks burst ...

 

It was at the Menino's stool that the boys' novena was used to go. When a child fell ill, the parents would arrange nine children to give a novena to Senhora do Bom Despacho. If the patient were a boy, nine boys would go in procession, if it were a girl, nine girls would go. In return, each one received a small handout, there is talk of two pennies in the old days. Tradition dictated that each of the children would leave their home and go towards the Child's stool. Once there, each one, in turn, should sit for a while on the stool, from where he left to make room for another, then proceeded to the chapel of Senhora do Bom Despacho, in a procession with the child's parents and relatives. sick.

 

In Cabriz, this tradition has a small variance: the children's procession was made when a pregnant woman, feeling the day of childbirth was approaching, got nine girls, who were not more than ten years old, and with them in a procession she would ask for protection for the delivery time to Nossa Senhora do Bom Despacho.

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THE PROCESSION OF SOULS

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It has always been said that around the Mother Church of Tabuaço, on certain nights, a procession with strange lights came out. But not everyone saw it, only a few people had the gift of seeing it.

 

It is said that once an old woman had no fires at home, and when she saw the procession passing by, thinking it was a common procession, she went there to ask for a fire. Then they gave him a candle for his hand, at the same time he heard a voice say:

 

- Who goes, goes; who is, is!

 

He picked up the candle, took it home and it didn't go out! He put it in a box, still burning, and the candle didn't even catch the box ... that was not a thing of this world!

 

It is also said, regarding these processions, that a boy from Vila de Tabuaço, having lost his mother as a child, was raised by a weaver who lived alone. The boy grew up to be a bricklayer. All the money he earned was handed over to the weaver for him to keep. At one point he met a girl and soon he wanted to marry her, but first he wanted to build a house for both of them. The weaver, who had kept his money all his life, died suddenly and he never knew where she collected the money. He went to the priest in charge of the parish who instructed him:

 

- At midnight, you go to the churchyard, wait until you see a procession of candles pass by and notice if the weaver goes there. As soon as you see her, ask her where she kept the money.

 

The young mason did so. He waited, waited, until he saw the procession said by the priest talking to him. He approached the lights that walked around the church but the fear was such that, with all the goosebumps, he ran away.

He went back to speak with the priest who advised him to return to the foot of the church, at midnight, and to take a good look, the weaver, having been the last person to die, most likely to follow last in the said procession .

Desperate the boy did so. And there he was, at midnight. Then he noticed that the last candle that passed was, in fact, the weaver. He approached her and asked her where he kept the money.

 

- The money is behind the loom. Take advantage and have him say Mass for my soul.

 

He went to check and, really, the money was there, behind the loom as the soul had told him.

 

Some say that the boy could have been stunned, that this procession of souls is not for fun. It is believed that each one who goes there is serving his sentences and that no one should interfere with them.

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TRADITIONS OF SÃO JOÃO

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Tabuaço, a land of devout people and fond of the faith, also knew how to combine his devotion to the party and revelry. Santa Bárbara, S. Torcato, Senhora dos Milagres, Santa Eufémia or S. João are some of the many saints of the devotion of the tabuacenses and inhabitants of the municipality.
S. João, a popular saint and probably the most reveler in the municipality, brings with it some of the most popular customs. Discover, among others, the tradition of broad beans, eggs, the game of holly, names or artichokes. (Oral tradition)

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The belief of broad beans

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It was customary, on the night of S. João, before midnight, for the “married” girls to put three broad beans under the sleeping pillow. The rules dictated that one broad bean should be whole with skin, another with half the skin and the other completely naked (peeled). After midnight, the girl was going to take her luck. He took a bean and so his fate was dictated: if he got the whole skin bean, he would marry rich, he would be remedied if his hand removed the bean with the skin in half, but poor man would marry if the hand came to stop him. fava naked.

 

The Egg's Belief

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In the night of S. João, exactly at midnight, you take a glass that will have half a water and where an egg is broken.
The fate will be seen before the sun rises through the transformation that the egg has undergone: the shape of a boat will dictate a journey, whether a chapel, a wedding, but if a cross appears, the fate will be ... death.

 

The Holly Belief

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On the night of S. João, arriving at midnight, a branch of holly is cut and taken home. At the first opportunity, the holly branch is passed through the sea water saying the following spiel: Oh my rich Saint John, that I lack nothing in life, neither love, nor happiness, nor money.
St. John, say the most believers, will hear ...

 

The fate of names

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On St. John's day, before the sun rises, the boy or girl will go to a spring to fetch water. The first name of a woman or a man (in the case of a boy or girl) that you hear will be, what S. João will assign you to marry. If he goes back and forth from the fountain and no name came to him, S. João keeps celibacy for him ...

 

The artichoke belief

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On the night of S. João, when jumping over the fire with the artichoke in hand, as tradition says, it will wither. However, if the other day it appears flowered it is a sign that someone likes that person, even though she does not know it.

 

The belief of the bowl

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In the night of S. João, a bowl is filled with water. Small folded papers are to be laid on it, where the names of boys or girls have been written, as the case may be. Before the sun rises, the bowl is checked. The role that is unfolded must be the pair that S. João reserves for him to marry.

 

The belief of the “fieito” (small shrub)

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At midnight, in the night of S. João, whoever wants to know his fate, will place a linen sheet under the strips. Before the sun rises, that's when the fate must be known: if the sheet is with the flower of the fieitos, the person will be rich all his life.
Popular belief also says that the only night when you can see the flower of this small bush is, precisely, on the night of S. João.

 

Rivalry Fund and Village Top

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In S. João, popular celebrations and traditional waterfalls were formerly popular with people from above and people from below. Each of the peoples liked to present the best waterfall and the best dance. Within a year, those from the people below went to the people above and, seeing them asleep, stole the waterfall. Then there was a hard beating between the two peoples.

For many years, waterfalls were no longer made in honor of S. João, and this tradition was rescued about three years ago by Rancho do Fundo de Vila, in Tabuaço. Since then, a waterfall has been built in Fundo de Vila and another in Cimo. Thus, the tradition of rivalry between the two peoples is maintained.

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THE PROCESSION OF LIGHTS IN THE SABROSO

 

People in the past tell us that at night, sometimes even at dawn, when they passed near the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora do Sabroso, they could see a path of small lights, walking back from the chapel, in a very certain measure. They also say that the lights, when passing by the main door, bowed a little and soon afterwards they went on again, some in procession, others disappearing.

 

The explanation of the people points to the payment of promises that remained unfulfilled. When they promised in life and not having fulfilled it, souls later return to do penance.

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THE CROSSES OF BOUÇÕES, S. DOMINGOS AND CORREDOURA

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Throughout the county we can see crosses, niches or small tabernacles. They are called "alminhas" and evoke tragedies, victims of death crimes or just promises. In Sendim, for example, there are the crosses of Boições and S. Domingos. Of the latter it is said that when a woman intended to become pregnant she would lie at the foot of that cross.

 

Another interesting story, also in Sendim, is the one that explains the existence of the cross at the intersection of Corredoura: the people who lived in the parish said a boy, a peasant, who was dating a girl from Vale de Penela. As he worked in the fields, he only visited her on Sundays, returning home late at night.

 

One Sunday, in the middle of winter, night had already fallen on the mountain, the boy was preparing to make his way back to Sendim. The girl's parents warned him to stay in Vale de Penela, at least until dawn. Devaluing the fears of future in-laws, he lay down on his way. As soon as he crossed the Távora River, he realized that he was being chased by a pack. It ended up being devoured by the wolves, near the crossing of Corredoura, where a stone cross was later erected to evoke this tragedy.

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TWO LEAD CANTERS WITH OIRO

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To the southwest of the village of Granjinha are the Castelinhos dos Cabriz where, the people say, there are treasures that S. Cipriano's book finds and describes. It is even said that on the edge of a chestnut tree, planted there precisely to serve as a brand, is a fortune: two lead pitchers with gold. It is also believed that in the so-called Cova da Moura there is such a charm that on St. Peter's day the Moors leave their hiding place and come out to dry their clothes.

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THE MYSTERY OF THE RELIGIONS OF S. BRÁS

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The population of Sendim and the neighboring villages have great devotion to S. Brás. Of this saint there are the mysterious relics preserved, for centuries, in a safe that is found in the Mother Church of Sendim.

 

Tradition says that this safe was sealed by a bishop who took the key with him to prevent the most fanatical from being tempted to cut the relics and take them.

 

In fact, the people believe that such relics are objects of the saint himself, including pieces of his bones, collected when martyred. Thus, since time immemorial, countless faithful have flocked there to just touch the saint's safe, some with diseases, or fearing that they might have them, others with big wounds, others with flocks of goats and sheep, in the conviction of miraculous cures for all. the evils. It is even said that the bread for the sick, when touched in the safe, is blessed and has healing properties, becoming incorruptible.

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THE THEFT OF SANTO ANTÃO

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In Balsa, a place in the parish of Wishosa, there was an image of Santo Antão, protector of animals. What is certain is that, to the displeasure and despair of the population, they stole the saint from there. Tired of searching, they turned to the abbot who advised them to make a procession to Santo Antão so that he would appear.

 

During the procession, they sang:

Santo Antão da Balsa,

Where are you?

In the middle of the broad beans,

Do we ask?

 

 

So much was asked of the broad beans, in great abundance in the year in which they stole the saint, that Santo Antão was discovered, precisely in the middle of the broad beans. They took him to the Church, where they have had him ever since.

 

It is celebrated on the 17th of January.

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THE LOBISOMEM FRAGA

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Fraga do Lobisomem is in Tabuaço, who goes towards Fradinho, right in front of Quinta da Saínça. It is a place of difficult access.

 

The elders still today say that, more than 150 years ago, a very strange man appeared here who only walked at night. When they saw him, there he went to the side of the fraga and when he got there, he disappeared. It was certainly within the fraga, which had a large cavity in the middle, that he spent the night.

 

One day the man ceased to be seen in the people and there were those who went to the said fraga to see if he could find him. But what is certain is that of the strange and mysterious man there is no sign. They only found the hideous cavity in the rock, which led the people to think that whoever entered or lived there could only have a pact with the devil, calling it the werewolf's name.

 

Boys from the village, now eighty-many years old, arrived there. They describe the entrance through a large cavity and there is a long corridor within the fraga that leads to two large rooms, where a person can walk upright. Some of these boys even say that they found stone mangers there, just like the ones where the animals ate and drank.

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THE LEGEND OF THE GOAT WITH EYES OF PEOPLE

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The people say that, there near the Cabriz, next to the Távora river, a shepherd saw, one day, a goat that was staring at him. The particularity of the animal is that it seemed to have the eyes of people. As the goat was not part of his flock nor did he know where it had come from, in an attempt to chase it away, the shepherd throws him with a stone. As it hit him, the goat disappeared and the shepherd never saw it again.

 

What is said even today is that, when hitting the kid with the stone, the shepherd broke his spell and that the goat was nothing more than Ardínia, the Moorish princess. The people believe that even today their souls walk in those parts.

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THE LEGEND OF CASA DA MOURA

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The elders in Granja do Tedo tell us that on a large rock, located at the top of the town, there is a large compartment where an enchanted Moorish is. It is believed that, when the Moors left this area, she would have stayed to guard a treasure that remains there today, enchanting, just like the princess.

 

What people know and say is that whoever wants to keep the treasure has to disenchant the Moorish first. The only way is to go to the rock, at midnight sharp. It will open and the treasure will appear! But this has to be done at midnight sharp, otherwise the fraga closes and the person stays inside, enchanted, just like the treasure and the Moorish woman, and will never leave.

 

And as no one dares, the treasure is still there and its guardian too

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