Browsing Archive: April, 2012

25 April - Feast Day of Saint Mark

Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Friday, April 20, 2012, In : festivals and fairs

Saint Mark, also known as John Mark, is not only the patron Saint of São Marcos da Serra, but also of the town of Venice in Italy. Also he is the patron of notaries, writers, secretaries and glaziers. Christians call upon him for good weather and a good harvest. Also he helps against lightning and hail and with sudden death.

He was one of the 4 evangelists and wrote the oldest gospel of the bible. He was one of the 70 disciples and later founded the chu...
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The Nêspereira or Loquat Tree

Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Tuesday, April 10, 2012, In : food and recipes

In São Marcos da Serra people just love their Nêspereira (loquat tree). This evergreen, easy to grow, tree (Eriobotrya japonica) originates from China and Japan and is not only ornamental, but it also has wonderful tasty fruit. You can find these trees in every garden, no matter how small.

The fruit of this tree is called the loquat (nespera in Portuguese) and is related to the apple and the pear. It is the first fruit to ripen in the springtime. It is rich in beta...