Module 1 Folk costumes and material culture

We started our activities by choosing our Erasmus+ corner(s) (one at the school hall and another at the library) and started our logo contest.

The first meeting We organized the first meeting with our partners in our country.

We shared our folk culture

Let’s take a look at some workshops in our school… Pupils and Art teachers worked together making folk materials

The Fiancés Art (“Scarf Valentine”) Pupils drew in papers their plan to make fiancés art

Scarf Valentine The scarf Valentine is a scarf made from a fine linen cloth, embroidered with different reasons. It is a piece of craftwork typical of Minho region.

Its history People say that girls, a long time ago, when they were near of the age to marry, embroidered scarves in cross-stitch on a cloth of fine linen or cotton. They were embroidered with the symbols and images that poured from their imagination. In this work it was valued by human feelings such as loyalty, dedication, love... There were weeks or months of work in the development of a scarf that could confirm or not the beginning of a romance. After embroidered, the tissue would get to the hands of the "boyfriend" and his public attitude to use or not decided if it was the beginning of dating.

The Art class at our school

Symbols of our country The Cock of Barcelos It is the most popular and famous symbol of Portugal. According to this legend, the inhabitants of the borough (Barcelos) were very concerned by an unsolved crime. One day, however, there appeared a man from Galicia who, immediately, became the suspect of the crime. The authorities arrested him and despite his protestations of innocence he was accused of being the author of the crime. Nobody believed he was on his way to Santiago de Compostela (Spain) to fulfill a vow and that he was a fervent devotee of the Saint venerated in Compostela together with St. Paul and Our Lady. And so, as it was common in the Middle Ages, he was condemned to death by hanging. But before his execution he asked to be taken to the presence of the judge who pronounced the sentence. His request was granted and so he was taken to the house of the magistrate who, in that moment, was having a banquet with some friends. Once again, the Galician protested his innocence and, to the amazement of all presents, pointed to a roasted cockerel on the table and exclaimed: "As sure as I am innocent that cock will crow if I am hanged!” Immediately laughs and comments were heard, nevertheless nobody touched the cockerel. And what seemed impossible actually happened. When the pilgrim was being hanged, the cockerel stood up on the table and crowed. No one, any longer, doubted the innocence of the condemned man. The judge rushed to the gallows and saw, with astonishment, the poor man with the rope around his neck, but the loose knot protected him from being strangled. He was immediately released and continued his journey of pilgrimage. Years later, he returned to Barcelos and built the monument (the stone cross of the cockerel) to Saint James and to the Virgin.

The making of this symbol in Art Class

Final products

The sardines Matosinhos, our council, was before a big fishing community and there are still fishing canned goods industries. The sardines, after the codfish, are famous in the Portuguese diet.

Art products during Art lesson

THE MASCOT COMPETITION Some works…

THE EXHIBITION

OUR MASCOT WINNER

FOLK COSTUMES PUPILS DID RESEARCHES ABOUT ALL PARTNERS’ COSTUMES

THE COSTUMES EXHIBITION

PUPILS AT THE COSTUMES EXHIBITION

This PowerPoint Presentation was made during the 1st module of the Erasmus + Project – “Small explorers in a magic world of European folk culture” by the Portuguese team. January 2016