The Regional Director for Communities highlighted in Winnipeg, Canada, the role of researchers, scholars and representatives of Holy Spirit brotherhoods in the preservation and dissemination of Holy Spirit Festivities in the Azores as well as in the Azorean communities.

Speaking at the 6th International Congress on the Holy Spirit Feast, Paulo Teves praised the contribution of emigrant communities to the assertion of the Azores worldwide throughout the revitalization and preservation of these religious traditions, taking into consideration that these communities were built by people who have disseminated the cultural heritage that embodies and defines the archipelago's identity.

"This centuries-old tradition has crossed border with Azorean emigration. Some have defended that it is the most significant bridge between the Azores and the largest cultural transnationalisation of all times," said the Regional Director.

In this regard, the government official stressed that the "Holy Spirit Festival Route - Azores/Communities" has taken this aspect into consideration. In addition to being closely linked to religion, this tradition is also integral part of the Azorean identity at various levels."

"The Rout will provide information about several Holy Spirit Festivities in the Azores as well as in the Azorean communities. This initiative will not only disseminate the existence and maintenance of this centuries-old tradition, lived by thousands of Azoreans, but also to promote, particularly among younger generations, the identity pillar of their ancestors," said Paulo Teves.

According to the Regional Director for Communities, there isn't a single way of living and experienced this tradition in the diaspora, since each community "reflects the specific traditions of its homeland and celebrates them in the same way as they were celebrated before emigration."

The 6th International Congress on the Holy Spirit Feast started Wednesday and ended today with the celebrations of Holy Spirit Festivities, an initiative that was jointly organised by the House of the Azores of Winnipeg. These celebrations will include the "bodo de leite," the coronation mass and procession, and the traditional "sopas."

Held for the first time in Canada, this initiative brought together scholars, researchers and representatives of brotherhoods from the Azores, Mainland Portugal, Canada, Brazil and the United States of America.