FOLKLORE IN THE DIASPORA

Azorean folklore symbolizes a collective heritage that embodies and accumulates ethnographic identity, cultural significance, historical continuity, social relevance, geographical representation, and regional distinctiveness.

Ethnographic identity, because it preserves and presents the characteristic traits of our people, both in their common environments and in their local specificities;

Cultural importance, because it recovers and values our identity and ancestral differences in a time that tends toward uniformity;

Historical longevity, because it represents an uninterrupted Azorean tradition dating back to the middle of the last century—an example of which is the Casa do Povo da Candelária Folkloric Group on the island of Pico, the oldest in activity, founded in 1949;

Social reach, because there are currently around 60 folkloric groups active in the Azores, more or less regularly, mobilizing more than 2,000 members from different generations;

Geographic representation, because there are folk groups in fifty parishes, from Santa Maria to Corvo;

Regional representation is crucial, as a folk group from any island in the Azores that represents the region abroad acts as a true ambassador of Azorean culture.

This is a cultural heritage deeply intertwined with the history of the Azorean people.

In the Azores and in the Diaspora.

The Padre Tomás de Borba Folk Group, from the Casa dos Açores in Rio de Janeiro, is the oldest in the Azorean diaspora. It was founded in 1954 and has recently completed seven decades of active service to Azorean culture in the marvelous city.

Nine other Casas dos Açores followed and maintain their good example:

In 1963, the Los Azoreños Folk Group was formed within the Azorean association in the city of San Carlos, which led to the establishment of the Casa dos Açores do Uruguai.

In 1981, the Casa dos Açores de São Paulo Folk Group was created.

In 1992, also in Brazil, the Casa dos Açores do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul folk dance group was formed.

In the same year, 1992, but in Canada, the Casa dos Açores do Quebec founded its first singing and dancing group, which preceded its current Rancho Folclórico Ilhas de Encanto, organized in 1997.

Also in 1992, in Canada, the Casa dos Açores de Winnipeg created the Rancho Folclórico Memórias da Nossa Terra.

In 2003, in the United States of America, the Casa dos Açores de Hilmar created the Grupo Folclórico Mar Bravo in California.

In 2010, the Raízes Açorianas Folk Group was born, from the Casa dos Açores de Santa Catarina, and the following year, in 2011, the Casa dos Açores do Ontário created the Pérolas do Atlântico Folk Group.

Finally, the Casa dos Açores da Bermuda created an adult folk group in 2019 and a children’s folk group in 2024.

Here we refer only to the folk groups directly linked to the Casas dos Açores, but there are many others dedicated to Azorean folklore in Brazil, the United States, Canada, and even Bermuda, which operate within the scope of their own associations.

Folklore is the preservation and dissemination of the popular culture of Azorean identity, which is why existing groups contribute to preserving tradition and promoting the region.

In the Azorean diaspora, the folk group is often the gateway for new generations to join our associations.

It is also the best ambassador for the Azores in the host societies’ festive calendar.

That is why we encourage their emergence and support their operation, as far as possible, by renewing instruments and costumes, contributing to school exchanges, and training their members.

All this comes in the wake of the recent celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Padre Tomás de Borba Folklore Group at the Casa dos Açores in Rio de Janeiro.

An initiative that both celebrated the group’s persistence and revealed the importance of its patron.

Tomás Vaz de Borba was born in Angra do Heroísmo, on Terceira Island, on November 23, 1867, and died in Lisbon on February 12, 1950.

He was a Catholic priest, musician, composer, and teacher. He stood out not only as a scholar but also as an innovator in music education in Portugal.

Ordained as a priest in 1890 by the Episcopal Seminary of Angra, he went to Lisbon, where he studied piano and composition, as well as earned a degree in literature.

He was the first professor of music history at the Lisbon Conservatory of Music, conductor of the Liceu da Lapa choir, and artistic director of the Lisbon Academy of Music Amateurs.

He is honored on Rua Padre Tomás de Borba in Angra do Heroísmo and in Lisbon, at the Tomás de Borba Elementary and Secondary School on Terceira Island, and, of course, at the Padre Tomás de Borba Folk Group at the Casa dos Açores in Rio de Janeiro.

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José Andrade is the Regional Director of Communities of the Autonomous Region of the Azores

Based on two speeches given at the Casa dos Açores in Rio de Janeiro on September 27 and 28, 2024

Translated by Diniz Borges, PBBI-Fresno State.