history
The Festa da Castanha, in Curral das Freiras, was organised for the first time in 1983 and is regarded as the first festival in Portugal dedicated to honouring the culture of the chestnut. It was born with the purpose of preserving local traditions, supporting the parish's agriculture and showcasing products made from chestnuts, such as soup, bread and liqueur. The festival is supported by the Câmara Municipal de Câmara de Lobos and the Casa do Povo do Curral das Freiras.
Throughout the days of the festival, the programme brings together a mass, band performances and an allegorical parade, alongside countless stalls selling chestnut products and other local delicacies. It is a gathering that celebrates what the land provides, in a parish known for its agricultural activity and its landscape nestled among high mountains.
Curral das Freiras, a parish in the municipality of Câmara de Lobos, was established in 1790 and became part of this municipality in 1835. Its name dates back to the sixteenth century, when the nuns of the Convento de Santa Clara found refuge here during pirate attacks on Funchal. The parish's main religious celebration, however, is not the chestnut festival, but the one held in honour of its patron saint, Our Lady do Livramento, on the last Sunday of August, a tradition that once attracted many pilgrims and continues to bring together devotees.
about the place
Hidden at the bottom of a caldeira sheltered by the mountains of Madeira lies Curral das Freiras, a land that took its name from the nuns of Santa Clara to whom the valley was donated in the 15th century. Surrounded by steep slopes and terraces of chestnut trees, it is a secluded mountain parish with the Church of Nossa Senhora do Livramento as its historic heart and breathtaking viewpoints. Here the chestnut reigns supreme and the ginja gives its fame to local liqueurs, in a gastronomy that is, in itself, a journey through the history of the land. Descending to Curral das Freiras is entering another world, where time slows down and every chestnut tree tells a piece of memory.
