The Festival of human Statues in Tomar, attracted a huge number of people not only from the city but also from other places in the country. It was considered a huge success. It was the first time that Tomar organized this event, but in the end the organizers were rewarded with thousands of people. At the end of the festival people gathered at Praça da República at night to see the human statues and here you can how enthusiastic people were about this event.
Thousands of people gathered at Praça da República in Tomar to see some of the human statues at the Festival
Some luckier people attending the Festival of Human Statues, found chairs at the coffee shops of Praça da República in the City of Tomar. I was sitting on a small staircase when I shot this picture
Though this photo appears last in this set, it was taken first. I arrived early and Republic Square (Praça da República) wasn't yet full of people. They were just starting to arrive
Tomar isn’t just an historical town. It’s also a cultural city that organizes inspirational events every year, most of them in summer or early autumn. The following three photos illustrate what I mean, as they refer to a road billboard of the Festival of the Human Statues (Festival de Estátuas Vivas), a billboard of “A day in the village” (Um dia na Aldeia), which was a 19th century market organized on the 31st of October 2010, and a neon sign at night at the main entrance of the Santa Iria Showgrounds (Feira de Santa Iria), organized annually, a tradition which I believe started in medieval times.
Road billboard announcing the Festival of Human Statues organized in Tomar in 2010. This was a well attended event, with people from all over Portugal visiting the City of Tomar
This is a billboard announcing a 19th century market, with people dressed up in costumes of the time. The event was called "A day in the village" (Um dia na Aldeia)
This newon sign was placed at the main entrance of the Santa iria Showgrounds (Feira de Santa iria) in Tomar. This showgrounds is an yearly event. organized since medieval times
This is the last set of photos about the Festival of Human Statues in Tomar, in the summer/autumn of 2010. The first human statues portray a couple dressed with Portuguese costumes of past centuries, participating in the Festival of Trays (Festa dos Tabuleiros) which in 2011 attracted more than 500,000 people to Tomar. The second statue is of a Friar from 14th century of the Order of Christ, and the third statue is of Staticman portraying himself dressed in a costume of the 19th century. Staticman, whose real name is António Gomes Santos, holds the motionlessness Guinness record and motionlessness world record.
Human statues of couple of the Festival of Trays (Festa dos Tabuleiros)in Tomar. This photos was shot near the Church of São João Baptista, close to Praça da República
This human statue portrays a Friar of the Order of Christ in the 14th century. Photo taken at Rua Serpa Pinto near the Church of São João Baptista
This human statue is of the famous Staticman. He portrays himself dressed in a 19th century costume. Staticman's real name is António Santos and he's the motionlessness Guinness and world records holder
This is the series of the Festival of Human Statues of 2010 in Tomar, which I have been publishing in this photoblog since I started it. The first Human Statue is of the Count of Tomar, which I believe to be António Bernardo da Costa Cabral. He later became the Marquis of Tomar and there’s now a street in his honour. The second human statue represents King Felipe I of Portugal who was also Felipe II of Spain. Portugal had lost its independence and Felipe I, who was the son of a Portuguese princess and the Spanish king, ruled the Iberian Peninsula in the 16th century, from the Castle of Tomar. The third statue represents Queen Maria I, who was proclaimed the Queen of Portugal and Brazil in 1815. For a while she ruled from Brazil while Portugal was being invaded by Napoleon french army.
Human statue of the Count of Tomar who lived in the 19th century. His name was António Bernardo da Costa Cabral and he later became the Marquis of Tomar
This is the Human Statue of the King Felipe I of Portugal who ruled both Spain and Portugal in the 16th entury, from the Castle of Tomar. He was the son of a princess known as Isabel of Portugal
Human Statue of the Portuguese Queen Maria I, who was also the Queen of Brasil. During her reign Portugal was invaded by the french army, commanded by Napoleon generals, and she had to settle in Brazil
Continuing this series of the Festival of Human Statues in Tomar, I am enclosing photos of three live statues representing important personalities in the history of Tomar and Portugal. The first photo portrayed by one of the street artists is of Santa Iria, the saint patron of the City of Tomar, the second one is of the Portuguese general Nuno Álvares Pereira, who saved Portugal from losing its independence to Castile (Spain) in the 14th century. The third photos is from the photographer of Tomar, António Silva Magalhães, whose collection of photos are an important source of information of the City of Tomar in the 19th century.
Human statue of Santa Iria, the patron saint of Tomar who became a martyr in the hands of one of her suitors in the year 653. She was a nun, a very beautiful woman and was thrown into Nabão River
This is the Human Statue of Nuno Álvares Pereira, who commanded several battles against Castile, among them the Battle of Aljubarrota (14 August 1385) who saved Portugal from being ruled by a foreign King
Human statue of António da Silva Magalhães, who left a rich photography legacy of the City of Tomar in the 19th century. He is known as the photographer of Tomar
This is a sequel of the Festival of Human Statues that took place in the summer of 2010 in Tomar. This time I am focusing on human statues of famous, beautiful and traditional women of the past. The first photo portrayed by a street artist, represents a traditional washerwoman from past centuries who used to do their laundry at Nabão River. The second photo is of the “statue” of Inês Pereira who is a fictional character of the play Farsa de Inês de Pereira (Farce of Inês Pereira), written by the Portuguese playwright Gil vicente and first shown in 1523 at the Convent of Christ in Tomar. One of the spectators was the Portuguese King D. João III. The third photo portrays the statue of Angela Tamagnini, an illustrious portuguese lady of italian descent who lived in the 18th century in the City of Tomar.
Photo of a Human Statue of a traditional washerwomen who in past centuries used to do their laundry at Nabão River in the City of Tomar
This is a the human statue of Inês Pereira, a fictional character of a play written by Gil Vicente, first presented to the public in 1523 at the Convent of Christ in Tomar
This is a human statue mimicking a bronze sculpture of Angela Tamagnini, a famous lady from the 18th century, who negotiated peace terms with the french army when they invaded Portugal and were in Tomar
I have already published three photos of the Festival of Human Statues in the City of Tomar that took place in September 2010. Important people of the portuguese past were portrayed by street artists, among them Gualdim Pais, a Knights Templar who was the founder of Tomar, Henry the Navigator (Infante Dom Henrique) appointed the governor of the Order of Christ, and the man who planned the Portuguese maritime discoveries from the Convent of Christ and the Castle of Tomar and Marquis of Pombal (Marquês de Pombal), also know as Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, prime minister of the kingdom of Portugal under the King D. José I in the 18th century.
Human Statue of Gualdim Pais, a Master of the Order of the Knights Templar who founded the City of Tomar in Portugal
Human Statue of Henry the Navigator (Infante Dom Henrique), the governor of the Order of Christ, who planned the Portuguese maritime discoveries at the Convent of Christ in Tomar
Marquis of Pombal (Marquês de Pombal) prime minister of the of kingdom of Portugal under the King D. José I. After the Earthquake of Lisbon in 1755, he methodically engineered the reconstruction of the portuguese capital
Portugal is an old country, with a rich history and a great deal of tradition. So when I was in Portugal in September and October 2010, I had the chance to shoot the Festival of Human Statues organized in the city of Tomar. I took hundreds of photos of the festival and in the end selected 19 photos of live statues representing important personalities in the history of Tomar and Portugal. In time I intend to publish the entire collection of the human statues I shot during the festival. These three human statues below, represent the poet Fernando Pessoa in front of the coffee shop “Café Paraiso”, a knight of the Order of the Knights Templar who lived in the Castle of Tomar from the 12th to the 14th century and the famous poet Luís de Camões, who wrote about the maritime discoveries of Portugal in Homeric fashion in a book called Lusiadas. Camões lived in the 16th Century.
Human statue of Fernando Pessoa in front of the coffeee shop "Cafe Paraiso" in Tomar, Portugal. Pessoa is a famous portuguese poet who died in 1935 and some critics consider him one of the two most representative poets of the 20th century, along with Pablo Neruda.
A human statue of Luís de Camoes, who lived in the 16th Century and wrote Portugal's national epic, titled Lusiadas. This is a book written in homeric style about the history of the Portuguese discoveries.
A human statue of a knight from the Order of the Knights Templar who lived in the Castle and the Convent of Christ in Tomar, which was the headquarters of Templars, from the 12th to the 14th century.