Last modified: 2014-11-08 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: mesao frio | mountains(3) | snow | grape | base(wavy) |
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It is fairily typical portuguese municipal flag, with the
coat of arms
centered on a quartered background (town rank),
yellow and blue. Flag and arms adopted and published in the
official journal Diário do Governo : I Série in 1936.03.26.
António Martins, 15 Jul 2007
The arms are Gules issuant from a campaign Argent wavy charged with a fess
wavy Azure three coupeaux Sable snowed Argent between two bunches of grapes Or
and on the heart of the chief a bundle of three diminute ears of wheat Or.
Mural crown argent with four visible towers (town
rank) and white scroll reading in black upper case letters "Vila de Mesão
Frio".
António Martins, 15 Jul 2007
Mesão Frio municipality had 4926 inhabitants in 2001 and consists
of 7 communes covering 26,85 km². It is part of
Vila Real District, traditional province and 1999
ref. adm. region Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, C.C.R.
/ NUTS II Norte, and NUTS III Douro.
António Martins, 15 Jul 2007
"Frio" means "cold", so the snow in these arms
might be canting;
"mesão" does’t have a regular meaning but popular etymology
points to either "long month" or "large table" — both probably bogus and
neither shown in the arms. Ears and grapes are probably trivial references to
local agriculture.
António Martins, 15 Jul 2007
Actually, "mesão" is an orographic term, meaning a large
"mesa". And fits well with local geography, with the town built on an
elevation overlooking the Douro river.
Jorge Candeias, 17 Jul 2007
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