12/11: Miracles in Fatima & Fabulous Fado Concert in Coimbra, Portugal

About two months ago I returned from being away on vacation with a friend in New Zealand and Australia for 3.5 weeks. In case you also want to follow that really fun trip, here's a link to the newest blog: www.bergersadventures7.blogspot.com

After Steven and I met some women earlier on our trip on a pilgrimage tour in Lourdes, France, who'd also spent time in Fatima, Portugal, one of the most important religious site for Catholics, we talked about altering our itinerary so we could stop there en route from Lisbon to Coimbra, our destination for the next few nights. We figured it would be crazy to miss it since we'd made a point over the last few years of seeing all the other well known pilgrimage sites over the years. It wasn't because I'm an ultra religious Catholic but because they're important places for all Christians and Steven and I always make a point of spending time in places of religious worship, regardless of the religion.

We were very fortunate that after a brief 90 minute bus ride to Fatima, the ticket taker in the bus station kindly agreed to keep our duffel bags and backpacks for us while we walked into town. I gave her, not the shirt off my back, but a fleece jacket as thanks for her kindness!

I read that, in 1917 the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in a field in Fatima. She brought with her requests for the recitation of the rosary, for sacrifices on behalf of sinners, and a secret regarding the fate of the world. Every local bishop since has approved the apparitions and deemed them worthy of belief, the highest recognition a Marian apparition can receive from the Church.

Some historical context: In 1917, Portugal, like most of the rest of the world, was at war. As WW I raged throughout Europe, the country found itself unable to maintain its initial neutrality and joined forces with the Allies, in order to protect colonies in Africa and to defend their trade with Britain. About 220,000 Portuguese civilians died during the war; thousands due to food shortages, thousands more from the Spanish flu. Besides the hardships of war, Catholics in Portugal were also facing a strong wave of anti-clericalism.

After the establishment of the Portuguese First Republic in 1910,
Catholic churches and schools were seized by the government, the wearing of religious clothing in public, the ringing of church bells, and the celebrating of popular religious festivals were all banned. Between 1911-1916, nearly 2,000 priests, monks and nuns were killed by anti-Christian groups. This was the Portugal the Blessed Virgin Mary entered into when she appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima in 1917, delivering messages about war, peace, suffering, and conversion.

In the summer of 1916, 10 yer-old Lucia dos Santos, the youngest of a family of seven children, began shepherding her family’s flock with three friends. During this time, an angelic figure appeared before the girls three different times as they were praying the rosary in the fields, but did not speak to them. almost a year later on May 13, 1917, Lucia was shepherding with her two cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, 9 and 7 years old respectively when Mary appeared for the first time. She appeared as “a lady dressed all in white, more brilliant than the sun” on top of a small tree in an open field called the Cova de Iria or The Cove of Irene in the countryside of the small town of Fatima. She asked that the children come back to that same spot on the 13th day of the next six months.

What was reported as the sixth and final Marian apparition took place on October 13, 1917, when crowds of witnesses - faithful and skeptics alike - had grown to 70,000 gathered, eager to see the sign from heaven that Mary had promised on the same date the previous month. What happened next has been described as the Miracle of the Sun or “the time the sun danced" when Mary cast her own light on the sun. Numerous witnesses corroborated the phenomenon of the whirling, dancing colorful sun which at one moment seemed to be terrifyingly plunging toward earth, with the crowds “expecting the end of the world to come at any moment” one witness reported. 

The first statue that greeted us was of Pope Pius XII.

We walked next to the huge and very modern but minor Basilica of the Holy Trinity which seemed more like an auditorium inside than any basilica I'd previously seen. Built in 1996, what I thought of as a very stark building received the Outstanding Structure Award in 2005 from an international group of engineers.

This was the most simplistic portrayal of Jesus on the Cross again I'd viewed. It was too modern for my taste.

The square between the minor Basilica and the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary was immense as up to a million faithful congregate there the 13th of every month from May to October to attend vigils and processions.

People had come to light candles or say prayers at the site where Mary had appeared to the three shepherd children.

We walked to the main basilica next that was located at the far end of the square.

It was disconcerting to hear Christmas songs like Hark the Herald Angels Sing and others being sung in English of all things.

Another view of the square with the Basilica we'd first seen at the far end; in the foreground was the mostly open-air Sanctuary which we went to a while later.

The interior of this basilica was far more traditional and therefore more to our liking!

On both sides of the Basilica were the Stations of the Cross. This depicted the 11th one in which Jesus was resurrected. 

The central tomb belonged to Lucia, the oldest of the three children who witnessed the apparitions and who later became a nun. She died in 2005 at the age of 97.

We also saw the memorials and tombs for Jacinto and Francisco, the other young children who witnessed the Marian apparitions. They were canonized on May 13th, 2017, one hundred years after the first apparition. They both died within a few years of the apparitions from the flu pandemic that ravaged Europe. Their mother stated the children had told her they would die early.

Outside the basilica was another very simple manger scene.

We returned to the Sanctuary in time for Mass which was being celebrated in the light rain. All but the first picture were taken a bit earlier when we passed the then-empty Sanctuary on our way to the main basilica. 

Another photo showing the mammoth square on our way back from the main basilica to the underground chapels marking the death of Jesus, his resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament located by the minor basilica:

Pope Paul VI visited Fatima on May 13th, 1967, on the 50th anniversary of the initial apparition.

The complex's ultramodern look continued by the  chapels.

I was certainly glad Steven and I had taken the time to stop and visit Fatima on our way to Coimbra to see for ourselves the site where the apparitions took place but, as I'm sure you gathered by now, I found the entire complex very cold and stark except for the main basilica. I didn't feel 'moved' by what we witnessed as it all looked so barren and it was hard to 'feel' the miracles that had taken place in the Cove of Irene so long ago. Our experience in Fatima was so different from the time we spent in Lourdes just a couple of months previously where we felt a closer connection to the miracles and what had subsequently been built to mark that time. 

If you've visited Fatima, I would love to read your comments and views.

We continued our journey to Coimbra next, a city located a further hour plus north that is known as Portugal's Oxford as it's home to the country's oldest and most prestigious university that was founded in 1290. Coimbra was the country's leading city while the Moors controlled Lisbon from the 8th to the 12th century and the country's capital for more than a hundred years from the 12th to the 13th century. 

Months ago we'd reserved tickets to see on our first night in Coimbra a fado performance at Fado ao Centro in the city's Old Town. Fado music, as you may recall from my earlier post on visiting the Fado Museum in Lisbon, is generally known for how expressive in nature it is, as well as being profoundly melancholic. I read that generally in fado music, "the singer will sing about the hard realities of the daily life, balancing both resignation and hopefulness that a resolution to its torments can still occur." 

Fado music has two main varieties: Lisbon and Coimbra fado with the former being the more well-known of the two styles. The roots of Lisbon fado were in "social contexts that were set in marginality and transgression." It was frequently found in locations favored by sailors and prostitutes. In the early 1900s, it found a great following that, thanks to the popularity of the radio, found its place in homes throughout the country. In the 1990’s, fado found its place in the World Music circuits. 

By contrast, Coimbra fado has such close ties to academic traditions at the University of Coimbra that the singers and other musicians wear the traditional academic wardrobe that consists of dark robes, capes and leggings. While Lisbon often appealed to those in the working-class fields, Coimbra appeals to the more privileged classes.

There are a few other differences in the fado styles between Lisbon and Coimbra, aside from the group of people the music appeals to. Lisbon fado can be sung by anyone regardless of gender, while fado in Coimbra is only sung by males generally as serenades to their girlfriends. Coimbra fado normally is about finding hope in the everyday hardships that people live through. In contrast, Lisbon fado suggests surrender when being faced with those hardships. Lisbon style often features improvisation during performances, whereas Coimbra is constantly rehearsed before performances.

The intimate space was perfect for the fado performance in which there was initially just one singer and two musicians. The former introduced each song, first in Portuguese and then in fluent English for the twenty or so people in the audience. He also took time to talk about the story behind each song, the writers, etc which was of huge help to those of us not very familiar with fado music. He mentioned that fado music was based on poems that went back to medieval times and was now played on modern Spanish guitars. 

The second singer was as compelling as the first.

The singer told us his next song would be about his singing to an an imaginary girlfriend sitting at her imaginary bedroom window who, if she were interested in him, would turn on and off her bedroom lights three times! You can see by his expression how he was fully immersed in the music and therefore so easily engaged the audience.

In Coimbra, fado singers often stroll through the streets. If people like what they hear, they don't clap as they would in Lisbon but rather hmm along to show their applause and encourage the fado singers. We made sure to hmm!

The singer cum narrator told the audience that university students were very active during the  48 year-long Antonio Salazar dictatorship, creating songs but they had to be careful about what they sang because of censorship. Fado music during the Salazar period was much more serious than before or since.

I am no music critic but I thought the entire performance was riveting. Steven enjoys playing guitar and he was amazed at the stellar playing by both guitarists who were also music professors at the university. If you ever have a chance to see a fado performance, I urge you to take advantage of the opportunity as it will be one that you will always treasure. 

After the performance all four musicians kindly made themselves available to chat with the audience while everyone enjoyed port wine and snacks.

This lovely lady promoted fado music in Coimbra and worked at the small fado hall.

Coimbra at night from our apartment near the city's old town:

Next post: Exploring charming Coimbra.

Posted at long last on May 21st, 2019, from our home away from home for the next month at Grayton Beach State Park on Florida's Panhandle.