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The Nicolinas () are a series of festivities to honor Saint Nicholas that occur in the Portugal city of Guimarães. Held between 29 November and 7 December, they celebrate the old traditions and camaraderie of the inhabitants of Guimarães, predominantly among its students. The first known literary reference to the Nicolinas dates from 1664, the year after the construction of the Chapel of St. Nicholas in Guimarães, although historical evidence suggests that the festivities predate this time.
The Nicolinas consist of eight main festivities: the Pinheiro, the Novenas, the Danças de São Nicolau, the Posses e Magusto, the Pregão, the Maçãzinhas, the Baile da Saudade and the Roubalheiras. They are organized by the Nicolinas Festivities Committee, a group of ten male high school students. The people who actively participate in the festivities are called Nicolinos.
During the 19th century, the festivities were celebrated less frequently and at irregular intervals, while from 1875 they ceased to be celebrated altogether. Led by Jerónimo Sampaio and Bráulio Caldas, a group of enthusiasts and students organized a gathering at the Afonso Henriques Theatre on 21 November 1895, which sparked the return of the Nicolinas after an absence of around 20 years. Rather than just a day of celebration on 6 December, they were extended. Originally called the St Nicholas Festivities, João de Meira renamed them in the early 20th century, after which they were known as the "Nicolinas".
Initially they were held over two days, with the programme for 6 December announced by a Town crier who walked the streets of the city on 5 December. The festivities were later extended to eight days, beginning on 29 November and ending on 7 December, and this is currently the period during which they take place.
The Nicolinas festivities are organized by the Nicolinas Festivities Committee ( Comissão das Festas Nicolinas), a group of ten male students from high schools of Guimarães. This committee is elected annually by other students on the last Friday of September at the Toural Fountain. Prior to 1982, only students from the Martins Sarmento High School could participate, but since then students from the other high schools (Francisco de Holanda, Santos Simões, Caldas das Taipas and Veiga (closed in 2005)) were also allowed to participate and vote for the committee members.
The name Pinheiro, used to describe the entire festivity, originated in the second half of the 19th century. Before that, references to the inaugural act of the Nicolinas mentioned the "raising of the flagpole" or "the flag" of the festivities, rarely connecting the "flagpole" with the tradition of planting pine tree.
After the participants eat their Nicolinas' supper, they start gathering at the Cano, located beside the Campo de São Mamede (named after the Battle of São Mamede), where they wait for the start of the Pinheiro procession. The pine tree used, traditionally the tallest in the region, is provided by the Martins de Alvão family, being then cut and prepared on the same day of the procession by members of the committee. Decorated with candles, , and banners that feature satirical and critical commentary on current issues, the pine is placed on a long cart pulled through the city center by , another part of the festivity carried out by the committee.
While the Committee manages the logistics, everyone else who chooses to join the procession typically does so by marching alongside the pine, playing the traditional Toques Nicolinos on their Drum and Bass drum, drums crafted in special workshops across the city for this occasion, or simply by walking along the sidewalks, accompanying the parade as the more active participants proceed through the streets. The parade concludes next to the Santos Passos Church, where the pine is raised and planted, officially marking the beginning of the Nicolinas.
Until the 20th century, the pine tree selected for the event came from the forests surrounding the city. Traditionally, the pine was raised at the Toural, but this practice changed in the late 1700s as urban expansion began to encroach on the area. As a result, the location for raising and burying the pine changed a few times before finally settling at its current site, next to the Santos Passos Church.
Attendees are no longer just students, as people of all ages from Guimarães, nearby towns or from the rest of the country now join in, either as spectators or active participants. Teens and young adults often get drunk at the start of the procession, an act that older Nicolinos deem as "a distortion of the tradition, fueled by convenience".
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, numbers attending the Pinheiro did not diminish despite the restrictions imposed. Contrary to expectations, the turnout was comparable to previous years, which was attributed to the cultural importance of the festivities to the residents of Guimarães. Attendance was similar in 2021, when around 50,000 people attended the Pinheiro procession. Despite the negative perception in the rest of the country of the large gathering of people during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Social Democratic Party defended the festivities, with their vice-president at the time who hailed from city, André Coelho Lima, personally attending the Nicolinas events. In 1905, João de Meira wrote that nothing would prevent the festivities from taking place as long as there was a single student in the city willing to fight for them, an analogy to what happened during the pandemic.
The Nicolinas' event is significantly distinct from the celebrated in other places, as the former embraces the culture of the city and the festivities overall over the religious factors.
Novenas of the Nicolinas were established as a cultural habit in the 18th century due to the obligation to "hold sung masses every year, on the 7th and 8th of December, by the young choreographers of the " dedicated to the patron saint Our Lady of the Conception.
The participants play the Toque Nicolino of the Novenas on caixas and bombos in a melody, with one of the two parts of this melody featuring a nine-times repetition of the same snare, one for each day of the festivities.
Once the Posses are completed, the Magusto ceremony begins set up around a bonfire where the students offer the people the food gathered at the Posses. Traditionally, and Portuguese wine are also shared and people socialize throughout the night. The Magusto used to take place at the Toural at least until 1862, the time when had been establishing as the main city square. The place slowly started moving towards the Santiago Square, which since the 1990s became the official celebration spot. It is often described as the most peaceful of festivities, with the customary sharing of goods between students and locals symbolizing the strong bond between the two.
Historical documents from 1817 mark the Pregão's earliest known occurrence. However, it is highly likely that instances predating this date occurred, yet were either lost or remained undocumented.
The historian and writer João de Meira, one of the most notable and influential figures of Guimarães, crafted the Pregões of 1903, 1904, and 1905. His contributions established a lasting standard, serving as inspiration and a guiding example for all future Pregões.
The Maçãzinhas event trace its origin to the Romantic movement, particularly drawing inspiration from various countries such as France, England and Germany. The Maçãzinhas consist of an allegorical procession that parades through the streets of the city, leaving at 3pm, with its final destination being the Santiago Square, a place with the same name as the Spanish city (Santiago de Compostela), which played a key role in the introduction of the cult of St. Nicholas in Guimarães. In a way, even if unintentionally, it serves as a homage to the foundational roots of the cult of St. Nicholas in Guimarães, through its connection with the Romeiros. Before this, procession began at the "Casa da Renda" in Urgezes, continued through the Cruz de Pedra area, and it ended at the Toural, instead of the Santiago Square, where the maidens would gather.
In the morning, preparations are made for the feast. The boys go to the Oficinas de S. José to build and decorate the carts that will be used in the parade. They also prepare their disguises, put ribbons on their lances, put their lances on their respective canes and find a squire to accompany them. These spears, embellished with ribbons gifted by the girls that prepare the festivity, are mounted atop canes, so that they are long enough for the boys to reach balconies and partake in the festivities. These ribbons come in various colors, each having a distinct meaning. Adorned with sayings, symbols, and messages, these ribbons offer the boys subtle "clues" guiding them to choose the right girl to present the spear. If a boy has a specific girl in mind, he seeks out the bow ribbon—an exclusive, larger pink ribbon. Tying a bow with this ribbon symbolically binds their connection during the festivities. However, if the boy is participating in the Maçãzinhas for the first time, tradition dictates that they use of a white ribbon, a color exclusively reserved to honor their mothers.
The girls, coordinated by a group of younger girls formed every year to help in the organization of this event, gather at the Santiago Square and start preparing for the incoming event, sewing white onto the student capes and placing the capes on the Balcony that surround the square. Every girl that has a boy delivering her an apple has to make an appointment prior to the festivity to save a spot at a balcony.
Upon the arrival of boys, the Santiago Square is usually filled with spectators and girls, positioned on the balconies, await for the central moment of the event to begin. The boys, in disguise and accompanied by a helper, begin the ritual by placing an apple (maçã in Portuguese) on the tip of a spear fixed to the end of a long cane. They then lift the cane to offer the apple to the girls. The girls return the gesture by placing a "little gift" on the tip of the spear, saving any other special gifts for later. At the end, when all the apples are taken, the spear is removed from the end of the cane and offered to the girl chosen by the boy or given to the boy's mother.
The Oliveira Square and the Toural have an active but secondary part in the festivity. The Maçãzinhas are a festivity that preserved customs and practices of courtship from "times gone by", while still attracting many teens each year.
The dances follow themes related to a number of historical and mythical figures, such as Afonso Henriques, Mumadona Dias, Saint Nicholas, Minerva or Gil Vicente.
Baile da Saudade debuted on 30 November 1945 in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the resurgence of the Nicolinas, and in both 1946 and 1947 the ball was repeated, taking place at the Jordão Theatre. It became an official festivity in 1973, the most recent addition among the festivities. Since 1962, the ball is held on 7 December at the Martins Sarmento High School. Some awards and prizes are awarded during this festivity to former and current Committee members. It can be considered as an older example of the current North American prom.
A small note is placed on the spot where the stolen items were once located, to alert the owners. The note assures the item's owners that the disappearance was a part of the festivity and not an act of robbery. It also directs the owners to the Toural, where the stolen possessions are displayed the following day, waiting to be retrieved. This festivity is exclusively orchestrated by the students that are part of the Nicolinas Festivities Committee, who prevent any potential misunderstandings or disruptions, in advance informing the local authorities regarding the Roubalheiras schedule.
In earlier times, this festival coincided with the Posses on 4 December, immediately following the conclusion of the Magusto. The first Roubalheiras took place in 1895 during a phase to revive the Nicolinas. Initially it was dubbed as Rapto das Tabuletas (Portuguese: Kidnapping of the Signage), as the signs displayed outside shops and restaurants were popular targets of the Nicolinas thefts. While the name "Roubalheiras" is nearly as ancient as its predecessor, it was less prevalent in the initial stages of this tradition, but it is now the official name of the festivity. The Roubalheiras are a contemporary adaptation of an old tradition that took place in the villages of the Minho Province region. In this traditional practice, observed on 29 June on the so-called Dia dos Atrancamentos, village boys would playfully relocate items such as food, harvest tools, and carts, placing them in entirely different locations to confuse the elders.
The Roubalheiras, introduced relatively recently when compared with the other festivities, underwent intermittent periods of establishment and cessation throughout the 20th century. Commencing in 1895, the festival faced abolition a decade later in 1905, only to be reinstated in 1909. However, it was again abolished in 1912, with a subsequent restoration in 1919. After another ban in the late 1920s, the tradition was revived in the 1950s, enduring until 1973. A resurgence occurred in 1994 and has been occurring ever since, accompanied by strategic modifications aimed at deterring any misuse of the festival as a pretext for engaging in illegal activities, a significant factor that contributed to its prior abolitions.
In recent years, the Roubalheiras have garnered noteworthy attention. In 2021, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it became a record-breaking year, witnessing the highest number of stolen items in the history of the festivity. The pilfered items included notable items such as a trailer, backhoe loader, road paving machine, and bull. In 2022, similar to the previous year, both a bull and a goat, among other properties, were on display at the Toural. However, in 2023 the range of stolen items expanded significantly. Among them were a goalpost and a football bench taken from the Afonso Henriques Stadium, numerous scooters and bicycles, supermarket trolleys, and a number of gas heaters. In 2024 the number of items was smaller, but the trend of stealing animals continued, with a goat being stolen.
The rehearsals start at the Mumadona Square and end near the Toural Fountain, making food and drinks stops, the most notable one being at the House of the Santoalhas.
The Tithe of Urgezes' ceremony is based around the allocation of a symbolic offering, traditionally consisting of money and customary foodstuffs, by the Junta de Freguesia of Urgezes to the committee. During the event, a formal speech is delivered, after which one Committee member is ceremoniously lifted by the others to retrieve a basket containing that year's tithe, lowered from the balcony of the Junta de Freguesia building by its president.
The monument had been planned since 1993, and got approved by the City Council in 1999, however, the project faced cancellation in 2002. The project was revived on 19 July 2007, receiving in funding, and scheduled for inauguration on 29 November to coincide with the start of the 2007 Nicolinas; the event experienced delays due to construction challenges, and ultimately, the monument was officially inaugurated on 25 January 2008, at 5:30 PM.
The monument was created by the local Plastic arts José de Guimarães, and symbolizes a fluttering of a cape, once an integral element of the old academic attires now usually used by the students of the Festivities Committee.
The Traje Académico is exclusively worn by current or former members of the Nicolinas Festivities Committee. It is entirely black and comprises a straight-lined type cassock, which while not ecclesiastical, functions as a genuine overcoat, featuring satin bands on the flaps and pleats at the back. It is fastened with three buttons at torso level, and each sleeve is accented with three buttons near the cuff. Accompanying the cassock is a plain, non-ceremonial black waistcoat without flaps. The trousers are cut straight and include pockets, which may be styled with or without a door, and are worn with a simple black belt. It also includes unadorned black shoes, with or without laces, paired with plain black socks. The cape, also black, typically includes clasps on the collar and is usually worn either folded over the left shoulder or draped over the arm or shoulder. This costume has a derivation, worn on gala occasions, where the normal shirt is replaced by a collared shirt with a flap, the Necktie is also replaced by a black bow tie (or a white one, during the Pregão, for the Pregoeiro) and the use of a cape is usually replaced white gloves. The use of adornments such as bracelets, earrings, piercings, or rings is discouraged and frowned upon.
The Traje de Trabalho can be worn by the festivities attendees. This is an adaptation of the academic dress to specific situations, resulting in the stripping off of the cassock, waistcoat and tie, while keeping the trousers and white shirt. It traditionally consists of black trousers, black shoes, a plain white shirt, a (added following a rise of its popularity in the city between 1815 and 1818) and a red and green type of beanie very similar to the phrygian cap.
The idea to nominate the Nicolinas as a World Heritage Site started in 2005, first in a paper by Lino Moreira da Silva, a professor at the University of Minho, and then in a motion presented by André Coelho Lima, an important political figure at the time. Since December 2016, the Nicolinas have been waiting for the DGPC to proceed with their application for inscription on the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the first step towards applying for UNESCO Heritage status.
In a December 2024 interview, Lino Moreira da Silva, the author of several books on this subject and a key figure in the Nicolinas' candidacy for Intangible Cultural Heritage status, claimed that the preservation of these festivities is "in danger". He explained that the risk does not lie in their disappearance, but in their banalization. According to him, younger generations are negatively influencing aspects of the celebrations that do not immediately attract their interest. Moreira da Silva says that many view the festivities simply as an occasion to drink and have fun, a practice that is acceptable as long as the original meaning and cultural significance are maintained, which generally does not happen. He also agrees that excessive alcohol consumption, and the exclusion of women from the Nicolinas Festivities Committee are obstacles that could deter future candidacies. Moreira da Silva further warns that increased external influence may lead to further de-characterisation of the festivities, as has been observed in previous instances.
In April 2025, the President of the Portuguese Cultural Heritage Institute expressed interest in signing a new application for the Nicolinas to be recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Pregão
The Pregão de São Nicolau takes place on 5 December, popularly known simply as the Pregão and previously called the Bando Escolástico. During the Pregão, a high school student and member of the Nicolinas Festivities Committee, known as the Pregoeiro, Declamation a text at various locations throughout the city center. The declaimed text is compiled by the member of the Nicolinas Festivities Committee who condense their opinions and their critical view of the events that have taken place over the year into a single document. The text often uses satire, irony and sarcasm to criticize politicians, modernity or local affairs. The Pregoeiro recites the Pregão at five different locations across the city, starting in the Câmara Municipal and concluding at the Toural.
Maçãzinhas
The Maçãzinhas, previously known as the Cortejo das Maçãs, are among the most iconic festivities of the Nicolinas, which is emphasized by the event's date scheduled on 6 December, Saint Nicholas Day, the very day that honors the central figure of the festivities.
Danças de São Nicolau
The Danças de São Nicolau or Danças Nicolinas (Dances of Saint Nicholas), originated in the 17th century as a way for students to get donations for various student festivities. They were vital to gain enough funds to build the sacred Chapel of Saint Nicholas. The dances were done in the various squares and streets of the city until its discontinuation in 1738. It was only in 1954 that a group of old Nicolinos revived the tradition of the dances, and around two decades later, in 1972, the dances debuted as an official festivity at the Jordão Theatre, making it the second most recent festivity to be officially adopted into the Nicolinas, just one year before another festivity, the Roubalheiras.
Baile da Saudade
The Baile da Saudade, or Baile Nicolino, is the last festivity of the Nicolinas, which initially was primary aimed to raise funds for the festivities. In its current form, the event involves a dinner and a ball arranged for the couples established at the Maçãzinhas. The event is open to all students of Guimarães.
Roubalheiras
The Roubalheiras (), involves the theft of various items, ranging from small flower pots to large cattle. It takes place on a random night between 29 November and 7 December (the span of the festivities), and the day remains a mystery for everyone apart from the students of the committee and local authorities. The Roubalheiras is deliberately enveloped in secrecy, maintaining the confidentiality of the date, which changes annually.
Smaller festivities
Moinas
The Moinas, also called Moinas Nicolinas, are a series of that occur every Saturday of November before November 29, the day of the Pinheiro. These rehearsals provide an opportunity for musicians intending to participate in the festivities to tune their drums and practice the various Toques Nicolinos, mainly the one made specifically for the Moinas. The attendees of the Moinas usually dress in white clothes.
Dízimo de Urgezes
The Dízimo de Urgezes (English: Tithe of Urgezes), is a festivity scheduled for 4 December. Originally, Dízimo de Urgezes occurred on 6 December, and according to a contract dated back to 1823, involved a tradition to give away food to the choreiros and students who went to the parish of Santo Estêvão de Urgezes, in the customary manner allocating: "two hundred apples, half a bag of roasted , half a bag of roasted , two of , two barrels of wine and two dozen large bundles of paínça straw". Today, tithing involves the allocation of a monetary sum and customary foodstuffs, as tradition dictates.
The festivity is first referenced in an entry dated to 1717, which states that "the dízimo of Urgezes will satisfy the Students of the Lord S. Nicolau, for their day, the portion to which he is obliged with all good satisfaction, as is the use and custom and has always been". Urgezes' customs became a precursor for the Posses festivity. The decree from 1832, however, banned Dízimo de Urgezes, and later abolished by the Porto Court of Appeal decision on the appeal filed by the Cabido da Colegiada. The event was restored by the Junta de Freguesia of Urgezes at the suggestion of a Nicolino named Hélder Rocha, and unanimously approved at the session of the Parish Assembly on 30 October 1999.
Cultural elements
Monument
The Monumento ao Nicolino (Nicolino Monument), is a monument made to honor the Nicolinos and festivities. It is located besides the Santos Passos Church, near the pine tree raised during the Pinheiro festivity.
Typical costumes
There are two typical types of traditional costumes worn on the Nicolinas: Traje Académico and Traje de Trabalho. The costumes were conceived in the 16th century, and introduced as the festival's traditional garments in the end of the 19th century. Since 1895, the official use of costumes was discontinued.
Logo
The logo or symbol of the Nicolinas depicts a Nicolino, the name given to the people that actively engage in the festivities. He's dressed in the traditional Traje de Trabalho, raising his drumstick in the air. The logo came into existence in the mid-1950s, designed by Gomes Alves and António Augusto Correia.
Candidature for Intangible World Heritage
The Nicolinas Festivities have been advocated as a candidate for Intangible cultural heritage in the 2000s and 2010s. The initial application arose following an exhibition featuring diverse materials related to the Nicolinas. This exhibit included a collection of photographs by José Bastos capturing moments from the Nicolinas of 2000, alongside an oil painting by Paulo Varregoso Mesquita. Simultaneously, projections showcased photographs depicting various aspects and historical motifs of the centuries-old Nicolinas Festivities. These visual presentations were complemented by brief texts centered around the theme "Nicolinas as Intangible Heritage of Humanity". This event transcended the typical definition of an "exhibition", instead, it acted as a "gateway to a remarkable cause". Capitalizing on this opportunity, the Tertúlia Nicolina association distributed promoting then recently published books on the subject.
Bibliography
9789892070582, Minhografe. ISBN 9789892070582
External links
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