The nativity scene will be showcased at one of the main cultural venues of the municipality, Casa do Sal in Castro Marim, located in the Faro district. This initiative aims to honor the local identity by intertwining it with the familial festive spirit of Christmas, emphasized Filomena Sintra.
The display is crafted using “artisanally harvested salt” from the surrounding saline fields, certified with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). Visitors will also witness pieces from “two major local ethnographic arts,” such as basketry and straw plaiting, highlighted the mayor.
“We take advantage of the Christmas season to celebrate the arts, basketry, and straw plaiting,” she stated, stressing that besides the salt nativity scene, there is also a representation of the birth of Jesus in cane figures created by a “new artisan from Castro Marim.”
Asked about the municipality’s expectations for visitor numbers from the opening on Sunday until it closes on January 6, Filomena Sintra indicated that she did not have last year’s figures handy and emphasized that this was not what the creators took pride in.
“There is always a temptation to compare the number of pieces in this or that nativity and the number of visitors. What makes us proud is visitors appreciating our essence and products, and saying, ‘Indeed, this was a unique space, with authenticity,'” she argued.
During a visit, as the creators were putting final touches on the compositions, Lusa interviewed José Gonçalves, the salt nativity’s creator. He mentioned having “more artisans and seasonal activities” this year, such as lace-making, olive processing, or wool production.
The nativity also features an oasis, more palm trees, and a guesthouse among other elements, spanning over 35 meters, containing 11 tons of salt, 1,000 figures, and electric pieces recreating activities, Gonçalves detailed.
He explained that achieving the final result required constructing a wooden structure to support the salt and compositions, along with setting up electric components for lighting and moving the animated figures, a task performed by municipal employees.
In the end, José Gonçalves expressed satisfaction with the feedback from visitors who rarely encounter salt nativity scenes.
“We strive to recreate reality, using, for example, figures all of the same size, avoiding discrepancies to make the scene as faithful as possible. [Visitors] appreciate finding figures, like the ones we have, which are expensive but unique pieces made from clay,” he noted.
Martinho Fernandes created the cane nativity with “life-sized” figures and shared that accepting the challenge from the Parish Council to recreate Jesus’ birth from this material “was a challenge.”
“I am not aware of any similar projects with cane, although basketry is known. Roofs or other items have been crafted, but this was entirely original, invented and improvised,” he remarked.
The young artisan expressed his satisfaction in continuing a craft involving a “living material,” learned from a late master, António Gomes.
