I had arrived the evening before with no concrete plans for the next day. I had one day in the capital of São Tomé and Príncipe before flying to the latter of the two main islands. After flipping through the slim guidebook and finding a suggested self-guided walking tour of the city, I made plans to wander through the colonial streets of the city and hit the highlights as suggested. The calendar had another plan for me. You see, it was St. Thomas’s feast day; and St. Thomas in Portuguese is, you guessed it São Tomé.
History of St. Thomas Day in São Tomé
More than 70 percent of São Toméans are Roman Catholics, however even the Protestants on the island celebrate St. Thomas day. São Tomé is named for the saint because Portuguese explorers found the then-uninhabited island on 21 December around 1470, which is St. Thomas day. In 1969, St. Thomas day was changed to 3 July so as not to interfere with Advent, however that has not changed the holiday of this African, tropical island nation.
Traditional Celebrations
For the holiday on the island, you’ll find many of the shops and restaurants closed, as well as all of the banks and the museum. The festivities all happen at the Cathedral of São Tomé and if you want a seat, you should get there early. Inside the cathedral, next to the altar is a statue of St. Thomas. The statue is brought out in front of the church, where benches and a palm leaf canopy have been arranged for believers to sit. Community groups, associations and organizations wear matching cloth and shirts, all sitting together. The crowd gets pretty big, with many people leaning on the concrete railings that line the canal.
Once everything in front of the church has been arranged, mass is held and at the conclusion there is lots of singing and a call for donations. All of the groups go up to put in their donations. Then, once the donations have all made their way into the pot, it’s time to parade through the town with the statue of St. Thomas. All the believers follow behind the clergy and icon, singing hymns and rejoicing before making their way back to the cathedral.
Ultimately, I’m glad I scrapped my plans for the walking tour and I’m glad that my first taste of this wonderful island nation was a true slice of the culture.