The Império do Espírito Santo do Bairro do Lameirinho, also known as Império da Urbanização do Lameirinho, is located in the parish of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, located in Largo da Irmandade.
This property was built in the last quarter of the last century, namely, in 1991. The said brotherhood celebrates the festivity of the Holy Spirit on the third Sunday of August. Luís Carlos Fagundes Ferreira, António Santos Machado, José Martins Cota, Álvaro Fernando Carvalho da Silveira, João Paulo da Costa Moniz, João Paulo Pavão dos Santos and João Fernando Romeiro Medeiros were the founders of this brotherhood (Irmandade do Império do Bairro Social do Lameirinho) which has as management bodies a Caretaker Committee, a Fiscal Council, the General Assembly (all elected for a period of 5 years) and the Festivities Commission (also known as the Empire Commission), appointed for a period of one year, by the outgoing commission .
This Brotherhood’s party, like the others, begins with the removal of the crown from the house of the brother who holds the insignia for the Empire, where the rosary is recited, at night, by all the people who want to participate in this religious act, during the week. The festival program consists of initiatives of a religious and profane nature.
The religious part remains unchanged every year, however the one referring to cultural initiatives is always dependent on the funds acquired for its realization. Thus, during the week, normally on the first day of this festive period (Saturday before the 2nd Sunday of August), it is customary to present the Empire’s cattle; on Tuesdays, at the end of the day, the wine tasting takes place in the same place; on Thursday, the meat, bread and wine are blessed and distributed to the brothers; on Fridays, from 6pm onwards, there is the traditional Pezinho with singers/improvisers from the island and at night, the Supper of the Creators takes place; on Saturday, it is customary to have a “vacada” in the sawn land located behind the Império.
The day, par excellence of the festival, takes place on Sunday. So, in the morning, the coronation procession, accompanied by a philharmonic, leaves the empire for the neighborhood chapel, where a solemn mass is celebrated. The afternoon part is filled with the payment of the brotherhoods and with a lunch offered to children and people who are in the 3rd age phase. This day ends with the extraction of the pellets for the following year.
On the following Monday, the traditional “bodo de leche” takes place, during which milk, sweet paste and wine are distributed to the people present. The Festas do Divino Espírito Santo promoted by the Irmandade do Império da Urbanização do Lameirinho end on the following Tuesday. During this festive period, at night, whenever there is financial availability, performances by different musical groups from the island and even, sometimes, from other islands are held. This, like the other festivals of the Divine Holy Spirit, promotes dialogue and interaction between the inhabitants of this Urbanization and other people who attend the religious and cultural initiatives that take place here at this time, which is why they are considered a factor of dynamism and social cohesion.
Source: http://roteirodesazores.com/festa/irmandade-do-imperio-do-bairro-social-do-lameirinho/