In Portugal, as in other parts of the Old World, there were a lot of tribes, peoples, and conquerors. Here, the Romans ruled, the Arabs ruled, the Visigoths brought their customs, and the British and French conquerors figured out how strong their armies were. Since then, a lot of water has flowed from the Tagus River into the Atlantic Ocean, but Portugal’s modern customs, beliefs, and tastes are still based on those from the past.
The Portuguese love the holidays a good hundred.
Maybe because they live in a very serious and austere way, they need bright days to stay in a good mood and have faith that better times are coming. On the Portuguese calendar, there are almost a hundred public holidays, most of which are local or urban. Most of the time, a feast is for a saint, usually the patron saint of a village or town, whose church is named after the town’s main square.
Easter and Christmas are two of the most important traditions in Portugal. People who are religious in the country go to religious services and celebrate important days with their whole families at tables with a lot of food on them. Fish is the main ingredient in Portuguese food because real men have always been fishermen and still are today.
Soul music is music with a lot of emotion.
Fado music is always in the heart of a real Portuguese person. This is the name of a traditional song that can be heard in any bar or restaurant in your area. The singer tells the world about his unrequited love or lost youth while playing a guitar. The style of fado music is very similar to the blues.
Soul music is another tradition of Portugal, which can be seen in the beautiful ceramic walls that decorate homes, temples, and even the metro station. The stories on an azulejo tile can be from the Bible or from everyday life. Tiles are often painted with flowers, ships, animals that have never been seen before, or scenes of battles at sea.
Some more info about Portuguese customs
Portugal’s most important customs are hospitality and wanting to help others. People in this country are happy to talk to each other and to visitors. They also like to visit their neighbors and celebrate holidays and other significant events together.
Compared to other EU members, the Portuguese live in a pretty simple way, but that doesn’t stop them from being happy and having a great sense of humor. You can make jokes about anything with a Portuguese person.
Here, it is normal to give way to women, jump in front of them, and pay other kinds of attention to them. Try to follow this nice Portuguese tradition when you go on a trip.
