An Insight into Portuguese Culture

The post below was written by one of our placement students, providing us with an insight into her Portuguese culture…

Portuguese Culture

Portuguese culture is rich and varied. It is even impressive how, in such a small country, there is such a wide variety of cultural manifestations. Portuguese culture encompasses various aspects, including music, gastronomy, wine, pilgrimages and more.

Just like every other country in the world, this one is also a heritage. Starting with music, Fado is a musical style very difficult to locate in time and geographical terms. Many hypotheses refer to this style being born from the Muslim music style, others from the music of Brazilian slaves that would have come to us through the sailors, around 1820. It is a style still very popular in Portugal that no one knows when it was born.

Portugal is the oldest country in Europe, and the art reflects that. We can find some of the oldest historical monuments in the world going back to 20000 a.c., and the most recent art like the tiles – 15^th– and the Portuguese sidewalk – 19^th– are still in use to this day.

Portuguese Holidays

The holidays in Portugal, are very important, so much, that the fight and the freedom the past give us remains in the steps of the new generations.

Historically, we lived the 25 April 1974 first, this day is known for the revolution that the people of that time had. In the early hours of the day, the code signal broadcast over the radio – a song by Paulo de Carvalho and Zeca Afonso- gave a kick off to the operation so the military forces together with civilians occupied strategic points in Lisbon and overthrew the Estado Novo dictatorship.

The Day of the Race

We also have 10 June, known as ‘The Day of the Race: The Portuguese race or the Portuguese’. Became the day of Portugal, Camões, and the Portuguese Communities. Become like that, thanks to a great poet, Camões, and his publication, ‘Os Lusíadas’. Due to his death, in order to give him the tribute he didn’t have during his lifetime, June 10, become his day.

World Portuguese Language Day

Lastly, World Portuguese Language Day, 5 May was officially established in 2009 by the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), which brings together the peoples who have the Portuguese language as one of the foundations of their specific identity – to celebrate the Portuguese language and Lusophone cultures.

Portuguese Language

The Portuguese language is not only one of the most widespread languages in the world, with over 265 million speakers spread across all continents, but it is also the most widely spoken language in the southern hemisphere. Portuguese continues to be, today, one of the main languages of international communication, and a language with a strong geographical extension, destined to increase.