The yearly Christmas village is one of the most lively places around the holidays on the island of Flaore, in the most western part of the Azorean archipelago.  The village is a yearly tradition that brings visitors from all over the island, now with less than 4 thousand inhabitants.  The municipality of Lajes has nearly 1,500 inhabitants. Many emigrants have left Flores island since the early 1800s due to the strong tradition of whale hunting. In the United States, most folks with roots in the island of Flores live on the East Coast of the US, MA, and Ri, and on the West Coast here in California, and certainly in the Central Valley, around the Fresno Area. Fresno hosts the “Amigos das Flores” picnic every year, with hundreds of folks gathering from different parts of the Valley and the State. The Christmas village in Lajes is one of the most unique events on the island (PBBI and RTP reports).  

The municipality is composed of seven civil parishes (Portuguese: freguesias) with their own administrative organs (Portuguese: Juntas de Freguesia); they include:

  • Fajã Grande – located in the basin and fajã on the western coast, with a population of less than 250 inhabitants;
  • Fajãzinha – less than 100 residents live in this community, located north of Fajã Grande; Fajãzinha is a diminutive of fajã, referring to it being a small agglomeration of homes in the corner of the fajã;
  • Fazenda – literally meaning “commercial goods” or “location where [these] goods are available for sale.”, it was the last civil parish to be formed (de-annexed from its neighbor in 1919); they are less than 300 people living in an area of 29.5 square kilometers (11.4 sq mi);
  • Lajedo – an agricultural community located 9 km from Lajes and close to one of the islands ex-libris, the Rocha dos Bordões, as well as other natural monuments;
  • Lajes das Flores – the seat of the municipal government, located on the southeast coast; the largest population center in the municipality;
  • Lomba – location of the island’s first chapel and neighbor of the parish of Lajes, Lomba literally represents an area bordered by river valleys along the southern coast;
  • Mosteiro is the smallest parish in area and density, with less than 50 residents; it is the second-smallest center on the island.

The main urban nucleus (Lajes) is implanted in a small area that includes the historically small port and arriba in the southeast, from where the first community of Lajes extends along former footpaths and rural roads. The area is marked by an accented relief of cliffs and mountainous, dominated by patches of forest alternating with walled pasturelands. Agricultural areas are located between Lajes and Fazenda, situated in the northeast, while the southern coast comprises the Fajã Grande, Fajãzinha, Fazenda, Lajedo, Lajes, Lomba, and Mosteiro. (from Wikipedia)

Fun Fact: On the island of Flores, roast chicken stuffed with debulho was eaten and dishes of yam with sausage were also served, a very typical dish of this island.

https://acores.rtp.pt/local/inaugurada-a-aldeia-de-natal-nas-lajes-das-flores/

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance)  at California State University, Fresno–PBBI thanks the sponsorship of the Luso-American Development Foundation from Lisbon, Portugal (FLAD)