Festivities in Honour of Our Lady of Solitude

The Festivities in Honour of Our Lady of Solitude, in Arrentela (Seixal), took place from 30 October to 2 November 2026; the poster features the dates 1755–2026. On the Friday, the folk dance gathering 'Bailar á Senhora' was held at the Largo da Igreja, with the Rancho Folclórico Honra e Glória de Arrentela and the Grupo Etnográfico Samora e o Passado, from Benavente. On the Saturday, after the pilgrimage to the cemetery, the Coro Polifónico de Fernão Ferro sang the Akathistos and the Litanies of All Saints, at the crowning of Our Lady of Solitude presided over by Cardinal D. Américo Aguiar, Bishop of Setúbal, followed by a dance with Vítor Ginja. On 1 November there was a solemn Mass and the procession in honour of Our Lady of Solitude, with the blessing of the boats and the river. On 2 November, All Souls' Day, there was a Mass and a pilgrimage to the cemetery. From 30 October to 1 November a fair with food stalls took place. Organisation: Comissão de Festas em Honra a Nossa Senhora da Soledade, with the support of the Junta de Freguesia de Arrentela and the Câmara Municipal do Seixal.

Arrentela is a village and civil parish in the municipality of Seixal, covering 9.58 km² and home to 28,886 inhabitants (2011 census). The locality is already mentioned in 1384 by Fernão Lopes, in the chronicle of King João I, and parish records date back to 1581. It was merged into the Union of Parishes of Seixal, Arrentela and Aldeia de Paio Pires, and became an independent parish again on 14 March 2025, under Law no. 25-A/2025. Among its settlements are Torre da Marinha, Casal do Marco, Pinhal de Frades and Boa Hora. Its heritage includes the Parish Church of Arrentela, dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Consolação, and the Moinho do Breyner.