Traditions

There are several the festivity moments in the freguesia of Coimbrão, along time some have disappeared, but others continue to be celebrated.
For instance the start of each year was not such a big festivity as know it today. Before it started to be celebrated around Christmas, with a big fire in the middle of the square of Ervedeira, and this fire was kept alive until the start of the new year, so people were getting together around the fire to talk for a while.
Carnival and Easter, were also bringing some particular moments, mainly in Ervedeira, where the tradition to go to people’s house and "Sing to the souls" is still present and strong.
The month of may bring some new and old traditions, starting with the Labour Day, passing by some religious traditions as it his the prayers to the Lady of Fátima and the "Dia da Ascensão" where families get together in Pedrógão.
From June to September there are some festivities in each place of freguesia of Coimbrão.
In November the 1st , children go to people’s house and ask them for "Bolinho de Pão de Deus", it’s the request for some sweet bread. Nowadays people give candies, cookies and money, but 50 years ago, it was given corn bread, sweet bread and fruit.

Marriage in Coimbrão

Another tradition of Coimbrão, is the marriage theta as some t peculiar characteristics. The most distinguishing characteristic in this tradition is the fact that after the wedding in the church both bright and bridegroom have separated party, with each one’s guests.

Popular Medicine

In gone times, medical care was not available to all, because there was not enough medical staff, the access to vilages was very complicated but most of all because of the economicalcondition of the populations.
The freguesia of Coimbrão was not exception and people were only going to the doctor if they were really in a bad health condition, otherwise they would get consulted with the local nurse. Regarding health system, Pedrógão was different from the other localities of the freguesia, as because of the condition of fishing place they had their own medical centre, at least once a week a doctor and a nurse would go to Pedrógão.
Independently of different localities, the most common was to have people making use of popular medicine, as they believed that with snatural things and some prayers.

Professions

As it happens in all societies, there are changes trough times. The parish of Coimbrão is not an exception to those changes, but some professions, that were the main source of richeness, are still alive after so many years: fisherman, agricultures, sawers, traders, carpenters. Some other professions simply got lost like boieiros, that were working in fishery (Arte Xávega) and some other gained some importance: civil construction professions in general, masons, painters and plumbers are some examples.

Costumes

In Coimbrão existed some costumes used by previous generations that continue to mark the identity of the freguesia of Coimbrão.
One of the common characteristics between way man and women were dressing was the fact that they had specific clothes to use during the week, working clothes, and clothes that were used on Sundays, holydays, festivities or special ocasions, like weddings.
Considering the economic power of the majority of the people (very low), it was common that people would only have a costume to use during week and a costume to wear on Sundays and special occasions. For this reason week clothes were washed on Sunday in the river or in the well next the house. This way clothes would be ready to wear on Monday again.
Allied to costums there are two professions: the dressmaker and the tailor. These were important professions, as there were no shops the way we know them today, so the only way to get clothes was to buy the tissues and make clothes, and for that, women were going to the dressmakers and men went to the tailor. Today these two professions are getting lost . In 2009 there are still 2 active tailors in Coimbrão.

Handicraft

One of the several expressions of a specific population is it’s handicraft, that symbolizes the culture of its region. Coimbrão has very characteristic objects, such as dish-cloth, fan or even the traditional blankets and carpets made of strips of old tissues.
The dish-cloths were used to keep the balance of things carried in the head, and preventing women of hearting themselves and avoiding their fall.
The fans in Pedrógão were made in a very specific way, people used the wood they were findng in the pine forest and the feathers of the sea-gulls, caught during the winter when sea-gulls loose the feathers. With the help of a small knife and some wire, the fan was built.
The blanketsand carpets of tissue strips appeared in the decade of 30 in Ervedeira, brought by a Galician emmigrant, Ti Gazuza. She as tought this art that requires time, imagination and afection.