Bengala de Gestaçô
The Bengalas de Gestaçô (sticks from Gestaçô) are curved wooden sticks that are mainly produced in the northern Portuguese town of Gestaçô .
history
In 1902, the businessman Alexandre Pinto Ribeiro founded a factory for the manufacture of umbrella handles in Gestaçô . Ribeiro used a new technique to manufacture these wooden handles: he softened pieces of wood in boiling water and then made them into an arch shape with the help of a metal stick. The bending technology not only brought economic advantages through faster and standardized production, but also ensured greater durability.
In the years that followed, Gestaçô developed a small industry for bending sticks. The main sales markets were the surrounding cities of Porto and Braga , where the artfully curved umbrellas became popular fashion accessories for men. With increasing demand, the sticks developed more and more artfully, for example by adding carved replicas of animal heads.
The craft today
Today, according to Público , there are still six craftsmen in Gestaçô who have mastered the production of Bengalas. After decades of declining demand due to competitive pressure from the Far East, pole manufacture is experiencing an upswing. The main reason is the increasingly popular Queimas da Fita (ritual farewell events for university graduates, especially in Coimbra and Porto), which are becoming increasingly popular in Portugal . For the special costume at these celebrations, the graduates need curved wooden sticks, such as those made by the Gestaçô craftsmen.
The “Casa das Bengalas” museum was opened in Gestaçô in August 2007 and explains the history of the curved sticks.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Público, August 13, 2007
- ↑ Sticks from Gestaçô . portugalmania.de. Retrieved June 11, 2010.