Portugal is
a country rich in history and heritage and steeped in religious ritual and
tradition. Its culture represents layer upon layer of different civilizations
that lived in and ruled Europe’s westernmost country during past millennia – from
prehistoric cultures to the Phoenicians and the Romans, arching Germanic
invasions, the Sephardic Jewish migration and finally Moorish conquest and
subsequent dispossession. Today, Portugal is largely Roman Catholic but pieces
of these activities civilizations can still be found here, in museums and
monuments – yes – but also a small villages and abandoned churches; in the
language with its mix of Latin and Arabic consequences and of course on table.
Don’t miss to enjoy your Easter 2021 in Portugal.
The
Portuguese Holy Week has many things in common with Easter in other countries of
the world, but it also has its particularities, such as certain typical Easter
meals or the traditional “folar” cake.
Beyond processions and image worship, Portugal keeps alive other Easter behaviors that should be considered when visiting Porto or Lisbon. In the case of folar, this tradition dates back many centuries and experts do not agree to its source. Folar is a sweet and dry bread cake filled with eggs that godparents give to their godchildren on Easter Sunday as a symbol of union and friendship. In exchange, young men give an olive branch to men and a bouquet of violets to women. This custom continues until the age of 18 or until the sponsored person marries, although more and more traditions are being lost.
