Santa Maria da Feira is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 215.1 km² and a total population of 140,494 inhabitants, and 107,458 electors. The municipality is composed of 31 parishes, and is located in the District of Aveiro. The present Mayor is Alfredo de Oliveira Henriques, elected by the (Social Democratic Party. The municipal holiday is January 20. It's the day when the whole municipality celebrates the Fogaceiras. The Fogaceiras is a special local holiday. During the Middle Ages, the lands of Santa Maria (as it was known back then) were infested by the dark plague. To get rid of this calamity, the locals offered a sugared bread, called fogaça, to the patron saint Saint Sebastien. The Fogaceiras have been celebrated for five hundred years, since the eradication of the dark plague.