To the Portuguese the Crown symbolized a sign of the Holy Ghost, an object of much veneration, and the people of the Azores vowed that they and their children would forever commemorate the day of the miracle: Pentecost Sunday.
No matter in what part of the world they made their home, there would always be an annual thanksgiving celebration honoring Queen Isabel for the sacrifice she made when offering her crown to the Holy Ghost. (Queen Isabel was canonized by Pope Urban VIII two centuries after her death in 1625).
A crown became the centerpiece of the Coastside celebration, beginning in Half Moon Bay in 1871. At first it was a very simple, dignified affair held at the home of Mrs. Rose Brown, the second Portuguese woman to arrive in Half Moon Bay in the mid-1800s. More significantly, she had brought with her from the Azores a delicately handmade gold colored replica of the original Crown. This precious symbol was handed down from one generation to the next.
…to be continued…