Almond Tree in flowers legend

In the ancient times, where the Moorish dominated the region, a great Arab gentleman received a slave as a present who called him the attention. She was a blond girl of white faces and very clear blue eyes. She had been imprisoned when traveling with her father who died in the hands of Arab warriors. Questioned about her origin she claimed to be from frozen and covered snow lands. Her name was Gilda.

Although she liked her master, the time passed and still there she was growing sad. Its beauty left fascinated the Arab master and one day he decided to marry her and make her the first woman between all the slaves and concubines of its harem.

He prepared a great party, with many guests of foreign countries and full of amusements. But nothing of this cheered Gilda ending with her leaving to her own private chambers sad for knowing that never could go back to its native land. The days had passed and Gilda continued in its chambers, looking at the blue and always limpid sky while getting continuously down. Seeing her suffering the Arab master announced for the world that would give an immense wealth to anyone that saved her, but unfortunately nobody obtained to cure that melancholy.

One day an old man come from the north and presented himself into the Arab palace and said to be able to cure the evil of Gilda. He had been her servant when she was a little girl. After having spoken with Gilda during some hours, he went to the Arab master and said:

- Sire, the evil of your wife is the homesickness!

– Homesickness! - The Arab answered

-… what is that?! Homesickness, Sire, it is a thing that we feel about what we love and it is absent. It’s an evil that destroys the soul and corrodes the body. Yes, Sire, she has homesickness’s of the snow that covers of white her home land.
 

Questioned for the solution the old man replied him that he should plant in all Algarve almond trees, thousands of almond trees!. Thus, when they were in flower, the ways and mounts would seem to be covered of snow. Skeptic, the Arab finished for making what it he had been indicated and planted thousand of almonds tree throughout Algarve.

... Gilda continued melancholic and still not leaving its bed.

Finally one day the almond tree turned into flower. In front of the palace there just could be seen hundreds of almonds trees in flower covering the fields with an immense white mantle. Astonished with the landscape, the Arab run to Gilda quarters and asked her to look through the windows and see the almonds tree in flower.

Gilda, observed during quite some time without being able to speak. Sudenly she murmured: - It is the snow! The snow of my land!!!

From that day on Gilda started to recover from the melancholy ending fully cured. Still today, every year when Spring comes, Algarve becomes covered of small white flowers, perpetuating the gesture of a desperate love of an Arab who lived centuries ago.