Madeira Islands celebrate, in a particularly festive and ceremonial way all over the island, the religious festivity of Santo Amaro 15th January. The first festival of the New Year.
This is the day when families gather to share the remaining delicacies of this festive season, to take out the Christmas decorations and lapinhas (cribs) and to “clean the kitchen cupboards” – a custom deeply rooted in the traditions of popular people of Madeira.
On this day the municipality of Santa Cruz pays tribute to its patron saint in a very lively religious festivity, which marks the end of the Christmas holidays.
