The Nicolinas Party Commission guaranteed “not having promoted gatherings” and took the opportunity to reinforce the call for people to stay at home tonight.
“What happened in [Praça da] Oliveira and the Monument [escultura do artista plástico José de Guimarães que fica junto ao local onde é tradicionalmente enterrado o pinheiro após o cortejo] was not promoted by us. It was voluntary and spontaneous. We have been calling for Pinheiro to celebrate at home with boxes and drums drumming on the window or balcony, ”said the president of the Nicolinas Party Commission, André Alves, who is a 12th year student at the School, to Lusa. Secondary Francisco de Holanda.
Gathering in the center of Guimarães on the morning of the start of Nicolinas
Also the president of the Association of Former Students of Liceu de Guimarães (AAELG), José Ribeiro, 73 years old and former student of the now called Escola Secundária Martins Sarmento, formerly “Liceu de Guimarães”, which is the educational establishment where the Festivals were born Nicolinas, reinforced the appeal.
“I gave my face to the appeal campaign for everyone to stay at home. Today, when I heard that groups were assembled, I toured the city to ask them not to. If the square was full, it was certainly something spontaneous. This year is atypical and this is very difficult for the Nicolines, for all the people of Guimarães, who live the tradition. But circumventing the rules or ignoring what’s going on [referindo-se à pandemia da covid-19] it’s not part of our spirit, ”said José Ribeiro, to Lusa.
Already on the page of the Chamber of Guimarães, on Facebook, watching a video where former and current students of the city make an appeal for people to stay at home, it reads: “Nicolino’s spirit feels differently, since the Pinheiro procession is not carried out due to the pandemic situation. Tonight, we celebrate the Night of the Pine in the windows and balconies of our houses ”.
The video is promoted by the Associação dos Velhos Nicolinos, the Nicoline Party Commission and the Nicoline Party Commission Association, with the support of the Municipality of Guimarães.
PSP avoided “intervention by force” to disperse Nicolino cluster in Guimarães
A Braga PSP appealed today so that the Nicolinas Festivities, which are traditionally celebrated in Guimarães as of this night, “are celebrated at home”, this after this morning having registered an “abnormal concentration” in the city center.
“We call on all citizens to adopt a civic and responsible behavior, and that, according to the advice of the organization, this year the Nicoline Festivals are celebrated at home”, reads a statement from the PSP Braga District Command.
At stake are the Nicolinas, parties associated with the cult of São Nicolau that are organized by students from Guimarães in secondary education and take place over about a week, but usually have their high point today with the parade of Pinheiro, that takes thousands of people to the streets to play boxes and drums.
This year, due to the covid-19 pandemic, the parties take place differently than usual and without the traditional procession, but in a statement with the title “concentration of people in Praça da Oliveira – Guimarães – Festas Nicolinas”, issued around 18 : 00 hours, PSP of Braga describes that “today, in the middle of the morning” it verified “an abnormal concentration of people in the vicinity of the historical center of Guimarães [no distrito de Braga], with the usual bombos and nicolino suits ”.
“This concentration is only usual on this ‘Pine Day’ during the late afternoon and evening, having occurred in the morning, unexpectedly. Before 13:00, time of prohibition of circulation on the public road, due to the state of emergency in force, it was possible to disperse citizens, avoiding intervention by force, with results always unpredictable ”, describes the PSP of Braga.
The same police force guarantees that “it will adopt the necessary preventive measures so that there are no gatherings of a size and nature similar to that seen in Guimarães” and reinforces the call for parties to be celebrated at home.
Portugal accounts for at least 4,427 deaths associated with covid-19 in 294,799 confirmed cases of infection, according to the latest bulletin from the Directorate-General for Health (DGS).
The country has been in a state of emergency since November 9 and until December 8, a period during which there is a mandatory curfew in counties with the highest risk of contagion, including Guimarães.
During the week, the curfew must be respected between 23:00 and 05:00, while on weekends and holidays circulation is limited between 13:00 on Saturday and 05:00 on Sunday, and between 13:00 on Sunday and 05:00 on Monday.
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