Traditions
São João (Saint John)
Saint Jhon's is a festival that happens every year during midsummer in the city of Porto, on the night of 23 of June. Thousands of people come to the city just to be part of this celebration.
With many religious and profane traditions it is one of the biggest festival in Portugal, paying homage to Saint John the Baptist. Here you can experience some traditional Portuguese dishes, watch fireworks near river Douro, send small hot air ballons into the night sky and even participate in a crazy gathering in the streets of Porto with all the people hitting eachother in the head with plastic hammers.
Fátima Pilgrimage
Pilgrimage by foot to the city of Fátima by many people around the world. This religious event usually takes place once a year in early may and one of its main purposes is to serve as a personal and comunitary connection to God. Many people also see this path as an opportunity of spending time with the family.
Caretos of podence and lazarim
"Careto" is a masked character present in the celebration of Carnaval in the regions "Trás os montes" and "Alto Douro", in many villages from which two stand out as the most famous, Lazarim and Podence.
Although these canival caracterizations differ a little from village to village usually they hold common traits bettween eachother, such as the masks and the long vests. The ones from Podence are colorfull with stripped outfits and a metal mask, usually red, with pointy noses.
As for the ones in Lazarim, the masks are made of wood and designed with big horns. The vests are less colorfull (brown mostly). It is thought that this tradition has celtic routes reminiscing to a roman period.
Academic outfits
Inspirations for the famous writter J.K.Rowling in her Harry Potter books this outfit is usually composed by two pieces - "Capa e Batina"/"Cape and Cassock". However this student costume gains some unique characterists depending on the location of the country they derive from. This traditional outfit is usually associated with "praxe" activities (trials for newcomers) although it can also be worn by students who are not associated with those practices.
Students Parade (cOrtejo de Finalistas)
Students parade which takes place in the last year of studies as a celebration of completing the degree. Even though this parade is aimed at those who are finishing their studies newcomers and students from other years are also wellcome o join in. Each university has a color of its own and the finalists usually wear the traditional students outfit (although this is optional) and a top and cane which compose a very important part of this celebration. Along the path the sudents make it is traditional for their friends and family to pick up their canes and hit them in the top hats as many times as years they spent completing their degree.
Fado is a traditional Portuguese music style and considered by UNESCO cultural patrimony. It is sang by one person "Fadista" usually acompanied by a portuguese guitar.
