All part of a merry dance.

Sunday mornings in Funchal in the weeks leading up to Christmas are fun. The local band wander around near the Teatro Balthasar Dias and the folkdancers move from location to location near the little Christmas stalls.

Local young people with a smile (and the occasional tense moment.)

Meanwhile in the Cathedral it’s time for locals to arrive in large numbers for the services. Outside there's piped music, the band and a huge stream of tourists.

I’m neither Catholic nor a Portuguese speaker but I love to sit at the back, with my thoughts and reflections and prayers, appreciating the atmosphere of reverence. It’s quite emotional.