In all it will take more than 3.5 tons of beef, dozens of boxes of cabbage, and dozens of volunteers to pull of the 102nd annual Manteca Ripon Pentecost Society’s annual festa on Saturday, June 25.
But at the end of the day it’ll be like many of the festas that came before it – a chance for the community, regardless of ethnic or religious heritage, to come together and share a meal in a friendly and inviting atmosphere.
For fourth generation member Angela Seamas, who currently serves as the MRPS Hall Vice President, that sense of community unity is what the event is all about.
“I think my favorite thing about festa day is that you don’t have to be Portuguese to come and enjoy it – everybody is equally welcome,” Seamas said. “It doesn’t where you come from – you’re a part of it for a day.
“There’s a sense of belonging on that day for anybody who wants to attend, and it’s very special to watch our younger generations rotate in and continue the legacy that came before them.”
The feast itself began centuries ago when Queen Isabel of Portugal, who would sneak bread out into the streets to feed the hungry, was stopped by her husband, King Diniz, who suspected that she had loaves of bread hidden beneath her apron. When Isabel went to show the king what she was carrying, the bread had been transformed into roses – signifying a divine miracle that is still recognized to this day.
Queen Isabella was canonized – formally recognized as a Saint by the Catholic Church for performing a miracle – in 1625 by Pope Urban VIII. Her canonization occurred nearly 350 years after she was born.
And so, the Portuguese feast in her honor.
Next week representatives from the hall will visit the livestock auction yards in Escalon where they will secure upwards of a dozen cows, if not more, which will be used to provide the protein base for sopas – the beef and cabbage dish that is served to anybody who shows up and would like a plate.
At a processed weight of 130 pounds per quarter of beef, the feast will likely require more than 7,000 pounds of beef in order to feet the more than 1,000 people are expected to filter through the hall during the day.
According to Seamas, the ladies tasked with making the sweetbread for the auction will likely begin their baking on Tuesday, and work on the floats used in the parade will begin around the same time.
“The MRPS Hall has always been supported very well – we’ve always had strong members of our Portuguese community that played roles within the community, and the two have always gone hand in hand,” Seamas said. “The City of Manteca has always had a lot of respect for our organization, and our organization has always had a lot of respect for the City of Manteca.”
For those who may be new to the community or never been to a festa, Seamas said the best thing to do is simply show up and let the experts take things from there.
“I would say the best way to get involved is just to show up,” she said. “If you show up and don’t know what to do from there, find somebody with a red badge and they’ll guide you.
“This is all about community, and everybody is welcome.”
The 102nd MRPS Hall Festa – the Festival of the Holy Ghost – will take place on Saturday, June 25th at the MRPS Hall, located at 133 N. Grant Street.
The festivities will begin at 9 a.m. when people start lining up for the processional (parade) to St. Anthony’s Catholic Church on North Street where mass will begin at 10:30 a.m. Immediately following the mass the procession will continue back to the MRPS Hall for the first of two feedings of sopas.
To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
