Fountain in the village of Queixoperra
SOURCES AND TRADITIONS - QUEIXOPERRA
"Before the public water supply to the village of Queixoperra, everyone had to go to the spring to fetch water to quench their thirst, to cook, to wash the dishes, for personal hygiene and for the animals. Water was an essential good that could not be missing at home.
A mostly female task, many women and girls would meet at the fountain every day, taking the opportunity to chat until the pitchers were filled. It was also a meeting place at that time for single boys to meet girls, and there was the trick of stealing the wheels, so that they could chat a little longer, and perhaps give her a kiss in exchange for the stolen object.
In my village, every year the fountain was decorated for São João. The boys and girls went to fetch eucalyptus branches and ferns for shade during the summer months and decorated it with balloons, padlocks and harmoniums. Around the spout running water, an arch was placed made with myrtle, Saint John, carnations and a bell. It was also said that the water on the night of São João, before sunrise, was Holy. Then the mothers would fetch water and bless their children in bed, some even crying because the water was very cold.
Besides the Bica fountain, dated from 1926, there were two more fountains: the Cherry Tree Fountain and the Ribeiro Fountain, the latter being a diving fountain.
My mother walked from her house to the Fonte da Bica, for many decades, always with the pitcher on her head, without needing her hands to balance it. Only when she ran out of strength did she stop doing this route".
Excerpt from the book "A CASA DA MINHA AVÓ" by Lurdes Vicente (Queixoperra).