Nicolinas

Nicolinas
The logo of the Nicolinas located at the Torre dos Almadas
GenreFestivities in honor of Saint Nicholas
BeginsNovember 29th
EndsDecember 7th
FrequencyOnce per year
Location(s)Guimarães
CountryPortugal
Years active1500s/1600s – present
Name given to the participantsNicolinos
Activity
  • Election of the Nicolinas Festivities Committee (last Friday of September)
  • Moinas (Every Saturday of November before the 29th)
  • Pinheiro e Ceias Nicolinas (29 November)
  • Novenas (From December 1st to 7th)
  • Danças de São Nicolau (December 2nd)
  • Posses e Magusto (December 4th)
  • Pregão (December 5th)
  • Maçãzinhas (December 6th)
  • Baile da Saudade (December 7th)
  • Roubalheiras (Date is a surprise)
Organised byNicolinas Festivities Committee
Websitehttps://www.nicolinos.pt

The Nicolinas (Portuguese: Festas Nicolinas) are a series of festivities to honor Saint Nicholas that occur in the Portuguese city of Guimarães. Held between November 29 and December 7,[1] they celebrate the old traditions and camaraderie of the inhabitants of Guimarães, predominantly among its students.[2] The first known literary reference to the Nicolinas dates from 1664, the year after the construction[3] of the Chapel of St. Nicholas in Guimarães,[4] although historical evidence suggests that the festivities predate this time.[5]

The Nicolinas consist of eight main festivities, the Pinheiro, the Novenas, the Danças de São Nicolau, the Posses e Magusto, the Pregão, the Maçãzinhas, the Baile da Saudade and the Roubalheiras.[6] They are organized by the Nicolinas Festivities Committee, a group of ten male high school students.[7][8] The people who actively participate in the festivities are called Nicolinos.[9]

  1. ^ "Guimarães prepara-se para receber as Festas Nicolinas" [Guimarães prepares to host the Nicolinas Festivities] (in European Portuguese). 2022-11-07. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
  2. ^ Mota, Carla (2022-01-21). "Nicolinas em Guimarães - O Pinheiro e as festas estudantis" [Nicolinas in Guimarães - Pinheiro and student parties]. Viajar entre Viagens (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-01-02.
  3. ^ "Monumentos".
  4. ^ "Festas Nicolinas" [Nicolinas Festivities]. www.cm-guimaraes.pt (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Festas Nicolinas 2023" [Nicolinas Festivities 2023].
  7. ^ "Do direito de pertencer à Comissão de Festas Nicolinas" [The right to belong to the Nicolinas Festivities Committee]. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  8. ^ "Festas Nicolinas" [Nicolinas Festivities]. Portuguese from Portugal. 2019-11-07. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
  9. ^ "Nicolino". Infopedia Portugal.