A bazaar featuring products from Macau and lusophone countries was held over the past weekend at the Rotunda de Carlos de Maia, or the commonly known “Three Lamps” area.
The bazaar was themed “Let’s Hang Out.” The Chinese character used in the theme is a homophone of the name of Portugal when pronounced in Cantonese. The event’s organizer, the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), has previously organized several bazaars in other locations around the city.
The Three Lamps area is a traditional neighborhood on the Macau Peninsula. People normally visit this area for a wide range of shops, such as grocery and ready-to-wear outlets. Meanwhile, this area is also a popular one for dining.
As introduced by the president of IPIM, Irene Lau, a total of 27 businesses participated in this bazaar. Of the businesses, 40% were participating for the first time.
IPIM located this bazaar for the first time on the street to integrate it into the neighborhood.
Additionally, with the area also housing a significant Southeast Asian population, IPIM also aimed to create a connection between the different communities.
Two Portuguese chefs sold Churros, a food item rarely found in Macau, at the bazaar. They said they were invited and wanted to promote the traditional Portuguese food to other communities in Macau.
Elsewhere, a seller of canned fish said that business went well throughout the three days of the bazaar. “[Business] started to go up on Saturday and got even better on Sunday,” the seller said. “Holding the bazaar at the Three Lamps offers a connected atmosphere. It is a good location.”
This edition of the bazaar tried to draw the attention of younger generations. Young Cantonese communities use a collection of Cantonese slang which are difficult to translate even into written characters.
The organizer managed to translate these terms into Portuguese. The translations were printed onto a billboard taller than an average Chinese adult, accompanied by illustrations which fit the meaning of each term.
“Let’s Hang Out” aims to further introduce products and cultures from Portuguese-speaking countries to a greater number of local citizens. Aside from booths selling products from Portuguese-speaking countries and Macau, various activities will be concurrently held including food and drink tastings, Portuguese cooking workshops, craft workshops, parent-child activities and various performances.
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