It’s that time of year again where the traditional Bacalhau is served and the tasting of the new wine from this year’s harvest, also roasted chestnuts are always welcome.
São Martinho Church is the place to be, starting Thursday evening, the best day to go is the Friday 10th as its the eve of São Martinho which is on the 11th, a great festival with lots of food drink and music.
And in true traditional style Madeira will have the São Martinho Summer as temperatures will rise from Friday and into early next week, up to 25-27° in places on the south coast with good sunny spells.
So what’s the story behind the tradition of a São Martinho summer?
There are at least two hypotheses that explain the summer of São Martinho . The first relates to what was experienced at Saint Martin’s funeral. It is said that, while transporting his body to the funeral in the city, it rained torrentially . Suddenly, when the body was close to the city, it stopped raining and the sun began to shine brightly . The brutal meteorological transition was so evident that, according to the pilgrims who accompanied the body, even the roses bloomed .
But the most famous hypothesis, which we have all heard at some point, is that Saint Martin tore his cloak in half to provide shelter for a naked, cold beggar . Immediately, God rewarded the Saint with a few days of mild and pleasant temperatures , which put an end to the freezing cold of winter, and gave a break with mild temperatures, before winter set in again.
In Madeira we don’t get the cold cold temperatures, but in the normally rainy chilly start to winter, a little more summer is always welcomed.