Holy Ghost Festival 2018

CONTACT INFO :

2nd Phone : (001) (401) 821-3369.
E-mail : dommar105@yahoo.com .
Google Map : https://www.google.com/maps/search/41.720314,+-71.524990?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZ94HK94rdAhUSWxoKHU8UCn0Q8gEwAHoECAYQAQ .

DESCRIPTION :

The Portuguese Holy Ghost Society is a privately held company based in West Warwick, Kent County, Rhode Island.

This organization primarily operates in the social club, membership business/industry within the membership organizations sector. Established in 1937, this organization has been operating for 81 years. The Portuguese Holy Ghost Society is estimated to generate $190,000 in annual revenues, and employs approximately 5 people at this single location.

The Portuguese Holy Ghost Society has two party halls available for rent and a bar area where guests can watch sports on TV and play pool, darts, and foosball.

Regular Hours :

Monday to Friday : From 7:00 AM until 5:00 PM.
Saturday and Sunday : Closed (except for special events and during festival days).

SIC Code : 8641.
NAICS Code : 813410.
Facility Size : 1,200 square feet.
President : Paul Garcia.
General Manager : Domingos Leite.

ABOUT THE EVENT :

HOLY GHOST FESTIVAL 2018.

The cult of the Holy Spirit (Portuguese : Culto do Divino Espírito Santo), also known as the cult of the Empire of the Holy Spirit (Culto do Império do Divino Espírito Santo), is a religious sub-culture, inspired by Christian millenarian mystics, associated with Azorean Catholic identity, consisting of iconography, architecture, and religious practices that have continued in many communities of the archipelago, as well as the broader Portuguese diaspora. Beyond the Azores, the Cult of the Holy Spirit is alive in parts of Brazil (where it was established three centuries ago) and pockets of Portuguese settlers in North America. The cult of the Holy Spirit involves traditional rituals and religious celebrations of these faith communities.

In its original sense, "cult" referred to an accepted religious practice, in sharp contrast to the term's modern, negative connotation. Devotion to the Holy Spirit is part of classical Catholic dogma and is the inspiration of several Catholic religious institutes, including the Spiritans, but what is considered here has peculiar characteristics of its own.

Two hundred years later, there was a rebirth of the popularity of the doctrines in the Azores ; their religious manifestations, rituals and symbols began to permeate the islands and, consequently, persist until today. These acts of faith were heavily influenced by Franciscan spiritualists, who were members of the first religious order that colonized the Azores, and brought with them traditions that were being extinguished on the mainland by Catholic Church orthodoxy. Here, in isolated communities under environmental pressures and the uncertainties of life, the millenarian rites of the Holy Spirit were accepted and fostered. The Azores, and those communities that had their origins in the archipelago, became the last outposts of Joachimite doctrines.

The origins of the modern cult and its rituals are not definitively understood. The dominant theory postulates that the celebrations were introduced into Portugal by Queen Elizabeth of Portugal. The cult's principal centre of devotion was in Tomar, which was also the location of the priory of the Order of Christ, charged with the spirituality of newly discovered lands (including the Azores). Another centre was Alenquer, where, in the first years of the 14th century, Queen Elizabeth introduced the first celebration of the Império do Divino Espírito Santo (English : Empire of the Divine Holy Spirit), probably influenced by Franciscan spiritualists, who there founded the first Franciscan Convent in Portugal. From there, the cult first spread in Portugal (Aldeia Galega, Alenquer, Sintra, Tomar, and Lisbon), and later accompanied the Portuguese during their Atlantic discoveries.

The new colonies were, from the beginning, subordinate to the priory in Tomar, later the archbishop of Funchal, and finally, the new bishopric of Angra do Heroísmo, which were overseen by the Order of Christ, who nominated new clerics, oriented the faithful and supervised the religious development. In this context, references to the proliferation of the cult of the Holy Spirit appeared early, and in a general way, throughout the archipelago. Gaspar Frutuoso, writing 150 years after the beginning of the island's settlement, indicated that this devotion existed in all the islands ; its expansion was tolerated, if not promoted, by the Order of Christ. References in the Constituições Sinodais da Diocese de Angra (approved in 1559) by the Bishop of Angra, Friar Jorge de Santiago, show that some attention was given to the cults by the episcopal authorities.

The existence of the Irmandades do Divino Espírito Santo (English : Brotherhoods of the Divine Holy Spirit) was first noted in the 16th century. The first hospital constructed in the Azores (1498), under the Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Angra, received its current name, the Hospital do Santo Espírito. The distribution of food (meats, bread, milk) was already an important part of the charity common in the middle of the 16th century.

From then on, and in particular after the beginning of the 18th century, the cult of the Holy Spirit assumed a position of importance in Azorean culture, becoming a unifier of the population in the various islands. With Azorean emigration, the cult was transplanted to Brazil, where, by the end of the 18th century, there existed feast days in Rio de Janeiro, in Bahia, and other zones where Azorean immigrants settled, such as Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, and Pernambuco. In the 19th century, the traditions spread to Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Connecticut, and California in the United States, as well as to Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia in Canada.

Every year, the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society's Holy Ghost Festival of the town of West Warwick, RI occurs at the first weekend of September, during the Labor Day weekend. This year, the Festival will run during four days, from August 31st to September 3rd.

Start Time : 9:00 AM.
This is an all day FREE EVENT !

Outdoor Concert and Festival - All Ages - Portuguese Foods and Drinks Available - Carnival Rides, Games and Amusements will be Present for Children, Hosted by American Seasonal Traveling Amusement Company "Rockwell Amusements" (from Johnston, RI).

There will be Entertainment at the Bar by a DJ, Inside the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society.

Several business' outdoor parking lots and on-street parking lots are available along Main Street, at the northwest and the south of the venue, as well as Elks Lodge's Outdoor Parking Lot, located at 60 Clyde Street, Builders Surplus' Outdoor Parking Lot, located at 94 Industrial Lane, Custom Craft's Outdoor Parking Lot, located at 48 Maple Avenue, Phenix Baptist Church's Outdoor Parking Lot, located at 2 Fairview Avenue, and Our Lady of Good Counsel's Outdoor Parking Lot, located at 62 Pleasant Street. Other business' outdoor parking lots and outdoor public parking lots are available at the south of Riverpoint Park, into the area between East Main Street/Providence Street and Hay Street.

Organized by :

THE PORTUGUESE HOLY GHOST SOCIETY OF WEST WARWICK, INC.

DESCRIPTION :

Holy Ghost Festival Organizer : Domingos Leite.
Phones : (001) (401) 864-1415 / (001) (401) 821-1071.

LINEUP :

At 9:00 AM :
- Mass for Blessing of the Crowns.

At 10:00 AM :
- Return to the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society.

At 10:30 AM : The Opening Performance.
- Procession in Honor of the Holy Ghost, Enlivened by Portuguese-American marching band "Banda Filarmónica Lira São Francisco Xavier" (directly from East Providence, RI).

At 11:00 AM :
- Portuguese-American marching band "Banda Filarmónica Lira São Francisco Xavier" (stage performance).

At 1:30 PM :
- Serving of the Holy Ghost's Soup and Meat to the People of the Procession.

At 2:00 PM :
- Performances by Various Local Portuguese Folklore Groups.

At 5:00 PM :
- Auctions.

At 8:00 PM :
- Parade of Lights and Fireworks Session.

At 9:00 PM : The Headline Artist.
- JORGE FERREIRA's LARGE CONCERT (3h Extended Show) !!!