Once a year, giggling young queens in sparkling tiaras and medieval robes fill the streets of Pescadero, eager to celebrate the crowning of a new “Big Queen” and “Little Queen” in the town’s Holy Ghost Festival. The traditional Portuguese celebration, known colloquially as “Chamarita”, hails mostly from the Azores and dates back to the 14th century. Portuguese communities throughout Northern California celebrate the tradition, and the young queens and their courts spend most of their Sundays in late spring and early summer visiting neighboring communities’ celebrations and participating in processions.