International Handicrafts Fair

Tonight I got to go to a handicrafts fair in Cascais with my friends Marcia, Pedro, and their sons Daniel and Lucas. This was the same festival they took my sisters and me to on our visit back in 2006. The craft fair was open for the month of August with lots of booths selling craft items linens, kids toys, pottery, clothes, jewelry etc. Paper lanterns were strung from the trees overhead giving a fun lighting feel. At 9pm there was a live concert in the open air park. The musicians walked out and I wondered what they'd sound like. There was a bass player, guitar (also played the accordion), clarinet, violin, and a drummer/percussionist. The clarinet player was the leader and I was pleasantly surprised with their music. What seemed to be an unusual assortment of instruments sounded great. Their melodies and harmonies fit so well together and the pitches were right on. The music definitely had a Jewish flair to it. The band played a variety of songs - mostly toe tapping and upbeat while others were slow with haunting melodies. Lots of the songs had a gypsy sound to them. I could picture a group of people dancing around in a circle (and then they asked the audience to form a circle and dance!). My heart started to beat a little faster, but those of us in chairs remained seated. Some "volunteers" from groups that had gathered on the sides came down front to dance. It was a fun way to end the day since music can be enjoyed in any language. The picture below was taken in bad lighting but you can see the stage and some of the musicians. The top picture is the entrance to the festival.