June 10th was celebrated this year in a special way in what is considered the center of the world, Times Square, in New York, in the United States.

The Fantastic World of the Portuguese Sardine store received around 250 guests who were greeted in Portuguese by the President of the O Valor do Tempo Group, António Quaresma, the event organizer. The General Consul of Portugal in the United States, Luísa Pais Lowe, did the honors at the opening, followed by an intervention by the Commissioner for International Affairs of New York City, Edward Mermelstein, and the Governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, the State that brings together one of the largest Portuguese-speaking and Portuguese-descendant communities on American soil.

At the ceremony, a film revealed the most recent project by O Valor do Tempo Group, “Aida Rugs”. The new brand now launched tells a story in the thread of time: the art of hand-embroidered Arraiolos Rugs exclusively with Serra da Estrela sheep wool, a 100% sustainable product, assuming itself as a project that is an exponent of the circular economy and sustainability. The brand’s presentation culminated with the unveiling of a 3-meter-high tapestry in Arraiolos stitch, illustrating a traditional woman carrying a basket with cans with the flag of each of the 50 North American states. This tapestry, which will be on permanent display in the store, took 392 hours to be embroidered by 4 women, using 8 kg of wool and using 45 different colors, which makes it unique and genuinely special.

Pedro Machado, Secretary of State for Tourism, gave a complimentary speech to the initiative, highlighting its importance in promoting the country, with the closing ceremony being taken over by Tiago Quaresma, Board Member of the O Valor do Tempo Group, who proposed a toast with Madeira Wine, the same one that was used to toast the independence of the United States of America in 1776, with Portugal being the first country to recognize independence.