Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program collections, 2015.196.61.5, Connecticut Historical S…

Flyer: 23 Aniversário do Rancho Folclórico Culturas de Portugal

DistributorDistributed by Portuguese Club of Hartford founded 1927

Date2019

MediumPaper

ClassificationsInformation Artifacts

Credit LineConnecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program collections

DescriptionFlyer for the 23 Aniversário do Rancho Folclórico Culturas de Portugal, 2019.

Object number2015.196.61.5

CopyrightIn Copyright

NotesSubject Note: Connecticut residents of Portuguese descent number close to 50,000; there is a Portuguese Consulate in Waterbury, signaling the importance of this ethnic group's presence throughout the state. Waterbury, Bridgeport, Hartford, Danbury and Stonington CT have sizeable Portuguese communities with different roots and cultural characters. Portuguese immigrants have come from mainland Portugal as well as the Azores and Madeira islands. Settling mainly in urban areas of Connecticut, they have established churches, shops, restaurants and bakeries, and social clubs. Many Hartford area Portuguese community members work in health care and hospitals, also construction. Immigrants from the Azores settled in coastal towns such as Stonington CT to pursue fishing and maritime occupations. Factories in inland cities such as Waterbury and Hartford attracted immigrants from rural areas of Portugal who sought available work. The population of entire towns in the northern farming and seafaring provinces of Minho, Tras-os-Montes, Douro and the Beiras came to settle here.

Cultural heritage is maintained strongly in Portuguese communities, seen in many festivals – often religious celebrations with processions – continuing throughout the state. Stonington holds a summer Blessing of the Fleet and Holy Ghost Festival in August, Waterbury celebrates Festa de Sao Joao in June, Naugatuck has the San Paio Festival over Labor Day, Danbury holds the Festa do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres and other events, the Holy Ghost Society in East Hartford hosts a festival on its grounds, and Hartford organizes the Festa do Divino Espiritu Santo, the Festa do Sao Joao and the Day of Portugal, and St Martin’s Day in November (commemorating the crop of chestnuts), among other events. In addition to churches, social clubs in the cities are community centers of language, sports, newspapers, cultural activities, foodways and festivals. For instance, the Portuguese Club of Hartford was founded in 1927. In 2017 the Club suffered a devastating fire but has rebuilt the hall and its membership remains strong with a young population.

Several Portuguese dance groups exist, most based at Portuguese clubs or churches in different Connecticut cities such as Hartford, Waterbury, Danbury, and Bridgeport. The official dance troupe of Hartford's Club, Rancho Folclórico do Clube Português de Hartford, was formed originally in 1965 by immigrants eager to perform dances and music from their homeland; it is the oldest rancho in New England with a continued existence since 1972. The group is notable for the number of dancers and musicians who have been with the Rancho for decades, with marriages taking place and children coming into the group, forming family dance dynasties. Their repertoire of Portuguese songs covers north, south, and the Azores – reflecting the make-up of the Hartford community. The group includes many young musicians devoted to Portuguese culture. In 1976 the Rancho was invited to dance at the Smithsonian's Bicentennial celebrations, in 1985 they toured Portugal, performed at the Special Olympics in 1996 and the Lowell Folk festival in 1997. In addition to dancing at the Connecticut community festivals, the group participates in a network of Portuguese dance organizations who perform regularly across the East Coast. In 2019 the group was invited to Bermuda and Canada. The 50th Anniversary of the group was celebrated in 2022. The Rancho has hosted several visiting Portuguese dance groups from Canada and the U.S. during several Day of Folklore events that drew audiences of almost 500 each year.

The Waterbury-based Rancho Folclórico Culturas de Portugal was formed in 1996 at the Waterbury Portuguese Sport Club, 1966 Baldwin St. https://www.facebook.com/portuguesesportclubwaterbury/

Additional audio, video, and/or photographic materials exist in the archive relating to this community and these events.

Cataloging Note: This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-245929-OMS-20.

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