With the holidays fast approaching, the “Christmas Creative Market” brought the Christmas spirit early with a free admission event at Albergue SCM* yesterday.
The annual one-day event, which ran from 11 a.m. through 5 p.m., was organised by Amigos do Pátio do Espinho de Macau** (APEM, 澳門茨林圍之友聯誼會) in conjunction with the Associação de Confraternização dos Amigos de Sam Pa Mun de Macau*** (澳門三巴門之友聯誼會).
Featuring several booths presenting a variety of products ranging from handmade crafts, books and toys to snacks and drinks, fairgoers browsed and shopped, while Christmas-themed workshops were also on offer for families. Christmas-themed decorations, meanwhile, covered much of the venue.
Aside from the products sold, the event featured both musical and dance performances throughout the day for fairgoers and passers-by.
In all, an event poster noted that there were 21 participating entities. A statement on the event organiser’s Instagram page stated that proceeds from the market will be used to buy daily supplies and donate them to elderly homes, orphanages, animal groups and seniors living alone, and vegetarian meal deliveries to the elderly.
*Albergue is Portuguese for “hospice”. SCM stands for Santa Casa da Misericórdia (“Holy House of Mercy”), Macau’s oldest charitable organisation.
**The association’s name is directly translated as “Friends of Macau’s Pátio do Espinho”. The patio near one of Macau’s two Na Tcha temples refers to Macau’s previously walled 400-year-old village known as Chi Lam Vai (茨林圍) in Cantonese.
***In English, the association’s name is directly translated as “Association of Fellowship of Friends of Sam Pa Mun of Macau”.
Revellers, including lots of kids, visit the one-day Christmas Creative Market at Albergue SCM yesterday. – Photos: Rui Pastorin
