Every year, on July 4, Sal Rei, the main town on the island of Boa Vista in the Cape Verde archipelago, is the scene of an evocative ceremony celebrating Saint Isabella of Aragon, Queen of Portugal, referred to as the “Rainha Santa.”

A precious white blanket shines on the window of a house on the waterfront in Sal Rei, the main village on the island of Boa Vista. Children dressed in white or wearing the most elegant clothes await the arrival of the statue of their saint and patron saint of the town, Santa Isabella, once queen of Portugal, surrounded by a crown of roses.

The tradition of hanging blankets on balconies during a religious procession belongs to the past and to a religious ritual that characterizes southern Italy. A custom found during patronal festivals, Marian feasts, along the streets affected by the route of the religious procession. I therefore find the same custom unexpectedly replicated in the streets of Sal Rei, the main town of Boa Vista on the occasion of the patronal feast in honor of Santa Isabella. The most ornate or colorful blankets were once displayed to evoke celebration, joy and held sacred value, both because they were displayed for religious devotion and because they represented family union. Such an accessory, therefore, was valuable not only from a merely economic point of view, but also from an emotional one.

On July 4, St. Isabella's Day, before the Holy Mass, boats perform a religious ceremony in the bay of Sal-Rei village approaching the sides of Rua Santa Bárbara, accompanying the religious ceremony on the mainland. This ceremony takes place with a procession, prayers, songs and blessings led by the parish priest, near the ancient Cross of Souls in Rua da Santa Bárbara. According to oral tradition, this is the “blessing of the sea,” with the officiant praying and sprinkling the sea with holy water. The procession continues to the church, built in 1857 just in honor of the saint, followed by the Eucharistic liturgy. Only after the Eucharist is the regatta from the Alfândega pier, swimming competitions, and horse and donkey races on the Praia de Diante.

Daughter of Constance of Sicily, Isabella was born in 1271 and died in 1336. Married to King Dinis of Portugal, after her husband's death she retired to the monastery of Santa Clara. Because she always interceded for peace, she is also called “anjo de paz,” angel of peace. Canonized by Pope Urban VIII on May 25, 1625, she is after St. Anthony the most revered saintly figure in Portugal.

Festivities in honor of the Saint begin two days before the religious ceremony. Two days of dancing and nonstop nightly music enliven the Estoril beach, close to the village. I am in Boa Vista for the first time and immediately I get swept up in the devotional and pagan energy at the same time of the festivities. The music emanating from a stage set up on a sandy clearing, close to the sea and with a group of abandoned boats on either side, never stops, even at night. It still resounds at 6 a.m. in the wide streets in front of my hotel, streets lined with low tenements leading to the so-called “shacks.” From here I begin to catch sight of the first people arriving. They are mostly women, wearing the uniforms of the big hotels on the west coast. Buses are waiting to take them to work. The light is uncertain and still gray, perhaps because it reflects off the anonymous apartment buildings. Some of the houses, those further down in the later blocks, are more manicured and some colorful, standing out against the gray concrete or sand mixed with earth. The music comes nonstop from the beach and continues to echo, though more faintly, in the still almost deserted streets. But I am not surprised. The musical tradition is very strong and heartfelt here in Boa Vista. Not only during religious festivals, the Cape Verdean's whole day is accompanied by their distinctive and characteristic music, a mixture of African, Portuguese, and Brazilian rhythms. They have music in their blood. Césaria Evora, a Cape Verdean singer known as “the barefoot diva” for her barefoot performances is one of the most famous singers and her image is everywhere, along with that of Saint Isabella.

About 95 percent of the Cape Verdean population is Catholic. Christianity is the most widespread religion among the population of Cape Verde. Christians would be 89.1 percent, 78.7 percent Catholic plus 10.4 percent Protestant. Other religious minorities are represented by the Nazarene Church (less than 1%), a Protestant group dating back to the early 1900s, the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (Mormon Church), and Jehovah's Witnesses, which arose from Jews who came to the island of Santiago to escape persecution in Portugal in the 15th century. There is also a small community of Muslims, made up of African emigrants.