Mayor Paul Coogan, in conjunction with the Portas da Cidade Advisory Committee and the Prince Henry Society, will host a special ceremony commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Portas da Cidade (City Gates), one of Fall River’s most recognizable symbols of its Azorean heritage.
The celebration will take place Monday, August 31, at 10:30 am at the monument on the city’s waterfront. The City of Fall River announcement says that “a delegation of dignitaries from Portugal and the Azores” is expected to attend the August 31 ceremony.
Among the Portuguese and Azorean dignitaries expected in Fall River are José Manuel Bolieiro, President of the Government of the Azores, and former Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who is serving as a guest of honor for the 40th anniversary of the Great Feast of the Holy Ghost of New England. While both dignitaries are scheduled to be in Fall River during the festivities, a complete delegation list of visiting dignitaries attending has not been released.
The Fall River Portas da Cidade were completed and inaugurated in 2006 as a full-scale replica of the famous gates in Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Azores. Standing approximately 60 feet high and 30 feet wide, the monument commemorates the sisterhood relationship between Fall River and Ponta Delgada. The two cities have maintained a sister-city relationship since 1978, recognizing generations of Portuguese immigrants of Azorean descent who helped shape Fall River.
The City Gates plaza has since become an important gathering place for cultural events, including the annual Day of Portugal festivities and activities associated with the Great Feast of the Holy Ghost of New England. This year, the monument will again serve as the starting point for the traditional Holy Ghost’s Bodo de Leite parade on Saturday, August 29, which proceeds through Columbia and South Main streets toward Kennedy Park.
The anniversary also recalls the strong official ties that have developed around the monument. A plaque at the site commemorates the 2007 visit of Portuguese President Aníbal Cavaco Silva to Fall River. In 2016, the city held a rededication ceremony marking the City Gates’ 10th anniversary. The 20th-anniversary observance provides another opportunity to recognize the landmark as a lasting symbol of the relationship connecting Fall River, Ponta Delgada, the Azores and Portugal.
Fall River (MA), with a total population of 95,072, is home to one of the largest Portuguese American communities (43.9%) in the United States, many claiming Azorean origin, mostly from São Miguel Island.
PAJ/Staff
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