Ribeira da Janela

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ribeira da Janela is a parish in the district of Porto Moniz in the Madeira Islands. The population in 2001 was 291, its density is 14.6/km² and the area is 19.9 km². Ribeira da Janela is the smallest parish in density and one of the two highest parishes in Porto Moniz. It is located east of Porto Moniz. The main industry is agriculture. It is connected with a road linking Porto Moniz and Funchal via Calheta and is on a mountain slope. The Atlantic Ocean is to the north and northwest. The mountains are to the southeast and around the parish. The parish of Ponta do Sol is near the plateau to the southeast and over the mountain range is Calheta southward.

The parish was marked by a massive exodus period in the 1960s, from which it hasn't yet recovered. Most of the people that left the parish in this period went to Funchal, continental Portugal or overseas (Venezuela, Canada, South Africa and the United States). Controversy hit this parish in 1998, when an elderly woman was expulsed from the day center she attended because she was praying constantly. This elderly woman now resides in Funchal.

Descendants of Ribeira da Janela who are now in Montreal build helicopters, run a hotel, an early childhood educator, does the bookkeeping for a construction company and one is a future engineer. Let's not forget about the one that is a paralegal for Canada's best law firm. The Garden philosopher came up with the parish motto: "No one is handicaped, everyone is handi-capable".

Nuns from this parish are also known for taking in Philippino refugees.

The feast of "Nossa Senhora da Encarnação" celebrated annualy in this parish, is known throughout the island for the transvestite parade, due to the great popularity of the 1995 movie To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. The highlight of the feast is the awarding of the "O mas grande boraco" award to the top transvestite. The winner traditionally becomes the festeiro for the following year's feast.

Ribeira da Janela is also a small creek flowing in the westcentral part of the island. The river flows near a plateau at around 1,420 m. The valley is one of the longest in Madeira. Remote roads lie south and to the east. The mountain range lies to the south and east. Forests dominate the northern and the western parts of the valley and to the north. Part of the stream lies in the parish of Seixal.