The Portuguese community of Bethlehem hosted the annual “Dia de Portugal,” Portuguese Heritage Day, the weekend of June 8 and 9. Featuring a colorful parade of participants who marched from city hall, the event attracted an overflow crowd to the hall and yard of Holy Infancy Church on the Southside.

A highlight of this year’s festival was the presence of three groups of dancers and musicians from different parts of Portugal. Participants wore clothing traditional to their region and performed traditional dances.

One group surprised and entertained the crowd with a sort of “dance fight.” Four pairs of men began the dance, one man swinging his partner as they approached another pair. The object was to trip the other person and send him to the floor. The competition was quickly reduced to two pairs, and they went at each other, spinning to the lively music of accordions, until one man hit the deck. No one was hurt.

The dancers were also appearing that same evening at the Portuguese festival in Newark, N.J. Their visit to the United States was sponsored by the Portuguese consulate and TAP, the Portuguese airline which flew the guests free of charge to Newark.