Easter in Portugal
Easter is coming! The Catholic Easter is actually only a few days away and the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ is important in this Atlantic country. So here is how we celebrate Easter in Portugal.
First, let’s see what Easter is and what its origins are. In the Christian world, Easter is one of the most important moments in the religious calendar, celebrating the resurrection of the Son of God. But the origins of the feast lie in ancient Jewish times, when the Hebrews celebrated Pesah, the crossing of the Red Sea by the people led by Moses out of Egyptian bondage.
Easter is a very colorful celebration in Portugal. Food is an important element, and it is customary to eat lamb for the Easter meal. Goatling is another option, a less popular alternative to the sweet lamb meat.
There is a traditional Portuguese cake, the Folar, a dry pastry flavored with fennel and cinnamon. The Easter Cake is usually decorated with a boiled colored egg. Colored eggs also symbolize fertility and life. Boiled eggs, as well as chocolate eggs, are popular worldwide symbols of the traditions associated with Easter
In Portugal, it is customary for godparents to offer small gifts or at least almonds to their godchildren.
Our celebrations today are a mixture of tradition and cult, modern consumerism entwined with the old ways. There are also pagan – inspired traditions that define Easter today. One of them is a symbol of spring: the Easter bunny. In ancient times, the rabbit symbolized fertility.
There are also a few regional celebrations in the Algarve we can name. In Loule, for instance, the Easter Sunday begins with the Small Feast (in Portuguese, Festa Pequena), a procession with a Pieta statue, and ends with the Festa Grande, when the statue is brought back.
You can rent a car in the Algarve to make the best of your Portuguese trip!
