A Piece of Portugal in Artesia

Instead of flying across the globe to taste an authentic Portuguese "sopa" or to witness a live bloodless bullfight, try driving just a few miles to experience a piece of Portugal in the City of Artesia.  More than just a , the is a community of members that aim to carry on Portuguese traditions and values by bringing people together at events and activities throughout the year.

  “What we have here is essentially a replication of what we have in the Azores islands,” says Artesia D.E.S president  Jimmy Enes.  “At the time it was an impoverished place.  Every one came to get away from that and establish this, but at the same time keeping in mind the same tradition and the same ideals as before, where everybody gets together to help.”

Originally founded in 1927, the community grew and expanded in the early 1970s due to a huge wave of immigrants and grew to become member-based, forming a leadership team as well as its own soccer team and philharmonic band.

Their band, known as the Filarmonica do Artesia D.E.S., consists of 55 musicians from the age of nine to 91. They’ve had the opportunity to share their music across the nation as well as in the Azores islands.

“What makes us unique is we play at religious processions,” says the conductor of the band David Costa.  “We play a type of music that’s like a slow type of march …it’s more solemn.”

Another instrumental part of this cultural community, is the Artesia D.E.S. soccer team, which competes against teams across California and occasionally ones from across the nation or abroad. Each year, they host a huge soccer tournament at . The team has also been the champion of this annual compeition 12 times.

One of the largest annual festivals the community puts on is the Festa do Divino Espirito Santo (Divine Holy Spirit Festival) -- a celebration that lasts for a few days in the end of July.  The festivities honor the religious aspects of the occasion and include processions, serving of “sopas” (soups), performances by the band, and the crowning of a “queen” to represent the Portuguese Queen St. Isabel who intiated the traditional festival.  To honor a popular Azorean tradition, a bullfight is held at the end of the event in the center's own arena, where the bulls are not harmed.  

“It’s something that’s so special to everyone from the islands,” said Enes. “In Portugal, it’s more about honoring the brave stature of the bull and how noble the bull is.”

With a high season of festivities coming up, the community welcomes everyone to join in on celebrating their Portuguese traditions.

 “I think that’s the whole purpose of having this community center here,” said Costa.  “When we have our festivities, it’s not only for us to bond, but also for us to share what we have with the rest of the community in general."

Enes also emphasizes on how one of the main values of the Portuguese culture and the community is to make everyone feel welcomed.

“We try to do everything as a service for our community," he said. "Part of what we are founded on is helping each other out.  We’re more than willing just to make people feel happy.”

To learn more about their community and to check out the calendar of upcoming events at the center, please visit www.artesiades.org.