Maria João Carreiro welcomes French group participating in 31st Relva Folklore Festival - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Juventude, Habitação e Emprego

The Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing, and Employment, Maria João Carreiro, welcomed, on behalf of the President of the Regional Government, the Groupe d'Art Populaire Berstett from France. The group is participating in the 31st Relva Folklore Festival, which will take place tonight at 9 p.m. at the 5 de Agosto Garden in the parish of Relva.

At the welcoming ceremony, which took place today at the Conceição Palace in Ponta Delgada, the government official praised the visit to the Azores of a group made up mostly of "young people committed to safeguarding and disseminating the popular artistic expression of the region they represent." 

"It is an honour and an immense pleasure to count on your participation in such a great celebration of popular culture as the Relva Folklore Festival," she said.

According to Maria João Carreiro, the Relva Folklore Festival is a “benchmark in the folklore festival scene in São Miguel and the Azores.” This year, considering the regional and international groups participating, "all the requirements are once again met for a genuine festival of colours, sounds and emotions that say a lot about the culture and identity of our ancestors."

The Regional Secretary also challenged the dancers and the entourage accompanying the group invited to this year's edition to visit São Miguel and the Azores. This will be "an opportunity to discover, interact and experience the best of Azorean culture, from music to dance, without forgetting the local cuisine, people and nature that define the Region and its people."

The Relva Folklore Festival, which takes place annually in August, is part of the Nossa Senhora das Neves festivities. It is jointly organised by the Parish Council of Relva and the Cantares e Balhados da Relva Folklore Group, represented at this welcoming ceremony by the President of the Parish Council, Pedro Melo, and the President of the Folklore Group, Ione Rebelo.

This year, the following groups will participate in the 31st Relva Folklore Festival: São José da Salga Folklore Group, São Miguel Folklore Group, Domingos Rebelo Cultural and Recreational Group, Fajã de Baixo Folklore Group, Cantares e Balhados da Relva Folklore Group, Groupe d'Art Populaire – Berstett (France) and the Folk Group CIUCIURUKS (Lithuania).