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I think we can all agree that there are certain traditions that are rocks in the foundation of our culture.  As Portuguese, especially those of us in California, festas (festivals) are an integral part of the Portuguese calendar and of who we are.  Every one of us has a favorite festa for reasons as varied as the festas themselves.   The Festa do Espirito Santo (Festival of the Holy Spirit) begins the annual cycle of Portuguese festas in California.  There is so much that’s beautiful, poignant, and even bittersweet about the Holy Ghost Festa.  Here are just five things to help...

In the Portuguese culture, we honor our mothers in countless ways throughout the year. While the traditional Mother’s Day is closely linked to the church and celebrated on December 8, Portugal also now celebrates Mother’s Day in May along with the rest of the world.  No matter which day or what time of year, Portuguese mothers are held in high regard because of their lifelong dedication to their children. Portuguese mothers do a beautiful job of cherishing their children and showering them with enough adoration to last a lifetime.   People raised in the Portuguese culture are so fortunate because we’re...

 Portuguese people love to celebrate, of that no secrets have ever been made.  With a society as old as the Portuguese, traditions that hold against the test of time are given a sacred place among many other occasions.  While some celebrations are based on traditions that stand apart from religion, many of the celebration biggies are centered around religion.  Because Portugal remains a country where the Catholic faith is an essential part of the culture, Easter is lived and loved with enthusiasm and devotion.  It is a holiday observed with a mixture of solemnity, sustenance, pageantry, and playfulness.  In other...

  The current Portuguese flag is not only a beautiful work of art, it contains a masterful combination of symbolism that has been in existence since 1911.  With this beauty comes symbolism that can be somewhat complicated to explain.   Known in Portugal as Bandiera the Quinas and Bandeira Verde-Rubra, it was proposed one year after the Portuguese monarchy was overthrown.  Commissioned to design the Portuguese flag was a painter, a writer, and a journalist.  Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro, who is usually referred to as Columbano, was a Portuguese Realist painter and considered the greatest Portuguese painter of the 19th century.  João Pinheiro...

For basically every country on the planet, the national flag holds a precious part of its culture.  With a single piece of cloth, a country symbolically represents the story of its land and history; this is certainly true of the flag of the Açores. This regional flag proudly conveys that the residents of these nine little volcanic Açores islands have political autonomy from Portugal. AÇORES FLAG 1975 .  The first version of the flag of the Açores was seen in 1975 but not officially adopted until 1979 by the regional government of the Açores. Whether looking at the original 1975...