Let's celebrate São João!

Credits: Meus Escritos

Every year, on the night of 23rd June, my city - Porto - becomes lively and crazier than ever. Thousands of people come to the centre and to the most traditional neighborhoods to pay a tribute to São João Baptista, in a party that mixes sacred and profane traditions.

The festivities have been held in the city for more than six centuries, yet it was during the 19th century that Saint John's day became impregnated in the city's culture and assumed the status of the city's most important festival.

In fact, the party starts early in the evening of 23rd June and usually lasts until the morning of 24th. The traditional attractions of the night include street concerts, popular dancing parties, jumping over flames, eating barbecued sardines and meat, drinking wine, vases of sweet basil  (manjericos) with meaningful stanzas of four lines, releasing illuminated flame-propelled balloons over Porto's summer sky and hitting people in the head with small plastic hammers (martelinhos) or with wild leek (alho porro). Manjericos in particular are a a very dear family tradition for me. My

Grandmother used to buy a vase of manjerico and take care of it, most of the times until Christmas! The plant is very delicate and smells deliciously, but has a short period of life. This one will probably last for a couple of months, so you can see how my Grandmother really knew how to do it! I miss her so much and not only because of the plants.

But let's get back to the celebration topic. At midnight the partygoers make a short break to look at the sky at Saint John's firework spectacle. The show is increasingly sophisticated with the fireworks being associated with themes and multimedia shows. The party has sacred roots but is also mixed with pagan traditions, with the fireworks embodying the spirit of tribute to the sun. One could expect the firework to be the climax and mark the end of the festivities. Yet, it is quite common for us to keep celebrating until 3 or 4 in the morning. Younger people take it even a step further. They walk from Porto's riverside core - Ribeira (for instance the parish of São Nicolau up to the seaside in Foz or to Matosinhos where they wait for the sunrise near the sea! 
Now, it's time to go because we are expecting this weekend to be memorable! Catch a glimpse of what is going to happen tonight with the video below...

Portugal Wins the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest!

Credits: EUROVISION

Our adorable Salvador Sobral has won the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Amar Pelos Dois', written by his sister, the also talented Luísa Sobral. Thank you all for the amazing support!

Please vote for the Portuguese song in Eurovision

The Portuguese song this year is really incredible. Written by Luísa Sobral and sung by her brother Salvador Sobral, "Amar pelos dois" (Love for the both of us), makes us fly in space and time, feeling the true power of love. If you enjoy the sound and the voice of #Salvadorable, please vote, using the number below, according to the country you're in. Thank you very much! 

100 Years of Our Lady of Fátima Apparitions

Credits: Ana Figueiredo

Today is a very special day, 100 years ago, three shepherd children experienced the apparition of Our Lady, the Virgin Mary, at Fátima. The three children were Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto. The apparitions at Fátima were officially declared worthy of belief by the Catholic Church. Popes Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI voiced their acceptance of the supernatural origin of the Fátima events. John Paul II credited Our Lady of Fátima with saving his life following an assassination attempt on the Feast of Our Lady of Fátima, 1981. He donated the bullet that wounded him to the Roman Catholic sanctuary at Fátima, Portugal and it was placed in the crown of the Virgin's statue.

On May 13, 1917, Lúcia described seeing a lady "brighter than the sun, shedding rays of light clearer and stronger than a crystal goblet filled with the most sparkling water and pierced by the burning rays of the sun". While they had never spoken to anyone about the angel, Jacinta divulged her sightings to her family despite Lucia's admonition to keep this experience private. Her disbelieving mother told neighbors as a joke, and within a day the whole village knew. Further appearances were reported on June 13 and July 13. In these, the lady asked the children to do penance and Acts of Reparation and make personal sacrifices to save sinners. According to Lúcia's account, the lady also confided to the children three secrets, now known as the Three Secrets of Fátima.

Credits: Santuário de Fátima

Pope Francis is in Portugal for the centenary celebration of the Marian apparitions of Fátima, which wouldn’t be complete without the presence of the Pope as he is part of the message of Fátima. Francisco and Jacinta, two of the childrem who saw Our Lady, will be canonized today, during Pope Francis's mass at the Santuary.

To know more about Our Lady of Fátima and this special place, visit the page Santuário de Fátima.

Bênção das Velas (Blessing of Candles)
Credits: Santuário de Fátima

António Guterres set to be the next UN Secretary General

The former Portuguese Prime.Minister, António Guterres, is poised to become the next UN Secretary. A formal vote will take place in the UN Security Council tomorrow to confirm the choice of nominee.

Mr Guterres, 66 years old, was the "clear favourite", Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin announced this Wednesday.  Mr Guterres, who led the UN refugee agency for 10 years, will take over from Ban Ki-moon early next year.

Who is António Guterres? 
An engineer by trade, Mr Guterres first entered into politics in 1976 in Portugal's first democratic election after the "Carnation revolution" that ended five decades of dictatorship. He quickly rose in the ranks, becoming leader of the Socialist party in 1992 and was elected prime minister in 1995.

As head of the UNHCR refugee agency from 2005 to 2015, Mr Guterres led the agency through some of the world's worst refugee crises, including Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq.

During that time, he repeatedly appealed to Western states to do more to help refugees fleeing the conflicts.

Former Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva said earlier this year that Mr Guterres had "left a legacy" at the refugee agency "that means today he is a respected voice and all the world listens to him", according to the AFP news agency.

How is he appointed?

The 15-member Security Council cast secret ballots for each of the 10 candidates on Wednesday and none were found to oppose Mr Guterres.

They were asked to select from a choice of 'encourage', 'discourage' or 'no opinion' for each candidate, with the former Portuguese prime minister receiving 13 'encourage' votes and two 'no opinion' votes.

He beat nine other candidates, including EU budget commissioner Kristalina Georgieva from Bulgaria, to become the next UN chief.

Credits: BBC NEWS

Portugal Crowned Euro 2016 Champions

Portugal is in the Final of UEFA EURO 2016

Photo credits: UEFA EURO 2016
"Dreaming is free - that is why we have to dream."
Cristiano Ronaldo

6 years over the death of José Saramago

"There are hopes it's crazy to have. I tell you that if it weren't for those 

I would have given up on life."

José Saramago, in Essay On Blindness

A very happy 'São João'!

found pic @ Meus Escritos

Every year, on the night of 23rd June, my city - Porto - becomes lively and crazier than ever. Thousands of people come to the centre and to the most traditional neighborhoods to pay a tribute to São João Baptista, in a party that mixes sacred and profane traditions.

The festivities have been held in the city for more than six centuries, yet it was during the 19th century that Saint John's day became impregnated in the city's culture and assumed the status of the city's most important festival.

In fact, the party starts early in the evening of 23rd June and usually lasts until the morning of 24th. The traditional attractions of the night include street concerts, popular dancing parties, jumping over flames, eating barbecued sardines and meat, drinking wine, vases of swet basil with rhymes (manjericos), releasing illuminated flame-propelled balloons over Porto's summer sky and hitting people in the head with small plastic hammers (martelinhos) or with wild leek (alho porro).

found pic @ EHMA

At midnight the partygoers make a short break to look at the sky at Saint John's firework spectacle. The show is increasingly sophisticated with the fireworks being associated with themes and multimedia shows. 

The party has sacred roots but is also mixed with pagan traditions, with the fireworks embodying the spirit of tribute to the sun. 

One could expect the firework to be the climax and mark the end of the festivities. Yet, it is quite common for us to keep celebrating until 3 or 4 in the morning. Younger people take it even a step further. They walk from Porto's riverside core - Ribeira (for instance the parish of São Nicolau up to the seaside in Foz or to Matosinhos where they wait for the sunrise near the sea! So, let's go because I'm expecting this weekend to be memorable!

Source: Wikipedia (abridged and adapted)

Eusébio da Silva Ferreira

Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, the biggest football player in Portugal and one of the most important

players in the whole world has, unfortunately, left us today, aged 71, victim of a heart attack.

The eternal Sport Lisboa and  Benfica striker scored 733 times in 745 professional games and was top goalscorer at the 1966 World Cup.

Born in Mozambique in 1942 when it was still a Portuguese colony, Eusébio da Silva Ferreira went on to play 64 times for Portugal, scoring 41 goals.

The Benfica striker's nine goals at the 1966 World Cup in England included four mythic goals against North Korea.

He had been admitted to hospital several times over the past years for the treatment of heart and respiratory problems.

Famed for his blistering acceleration and dazzling dribbling skills, Eusébio was named European Footballer of the Year in 1965. He won the European Cup with Benfica in 1962 and was in the side that lost to Manchester United in the 1968 Wembley final.

Eusébio enjoyed 10 League Championship victories and 5 Portuguese Cup triumphs in his 15 years at the club and was Portugal's top league scorer seven times.

For all SLB fans, for all Portuguese people and perhaps for the whole world, Eusébio will never die as we love and admire him deeply. He was an extraordinary player and an amazing human being. This is a sad day for SLB, for Portugal and for the world of sports...

THANK YOU, BLACK PANTHER. 

THANK YOU, KING EUSÉBIO.
REST IN PEACE.

Portugal this weekend!

photo credits: Porto FB page

If you want to read more about what is taking the Portuguese people to the streets, fighting for their right of dignity and respect, againt the never ending austerity, in more than 40 different cities, you can read here in Portuguese (via Jornal Público) and here in English (via Reuters).

Euro 2012 is over for Portugal...

photo credits: The Soccer Room

Portugal has been eliminated from the 2012 European Championship, falling to the World Champion Spain on penalties. There were 93 minutes of normal time, during which the momentum ebbed and flowed but neither side was sufficiently incisive to muster up a goal. Portugal did far more than contain our neighbours, who were decidedly off the boil until late on, but in football’s cruellest psychological lottery, our Seleção came up short. The Seleção set about their work with purpose and, crucially, cohesion, in a first half display that largely confounded the World and European Champions. The early pace was ponderous, which suited Portugal’s counter-attacking stylings.

The other major talking point in the build-up to the match had been the proposition of Pepe, Fábio Coentrão and Cristiano Ronaldo coming up against a number of their club mates. The latter was of course given particular attention, and with twelve minutes played, the Portugal captain entered the game, surging down the left flank and forcing an interception from Iker Casillas. At the halfway point of the first half, the Selecção were very much ahead on points. 

photo credits: Euro Cup Pictures

It was then that the asphyxiating possession for which Spain is famed began to increase. Although Portugal continued to present a live threat on the counter, Del Bosque’s side were able to control the game to greater effect during the middle period of the half. Yet Portugal was anything but willing to simply soak up the pressure, and responded once again with an incisive move of their own on the half hour mark. Spain’s riposte – a pair of mis-hit passes from Piqué and Silva – provided a neat illustration of the half: Portugal assured and controlled, Spain (even with some questionable decisions from the Tukish referee Cüneyt Çakir) seemingly harried, and some way short of their best.  Portugal continued to persevere, without ever losing their shape or throwing caution to the wind. And so, to penalties: football’s ultimate revenge on those foolish enough to pin their hopes and dreams on the fortune of 22 men chasing a spherical object around a field... Which is to say, all of us! At such a time, nerves are all that matter. Portugal lost 2-4 on spot-kicks but we are all VERY, VERY PROUD of our SELEÇÃO! They did their best and fought like HEROES. 

THANK YOU!!!

GO, GO PORTUGAL!!!

UEFA Euro Cup 2012 has begun yesterday and I must confess I enjoy watching football. In more or less 3 hours, Portugal is going to play its first match against Germany. It's a tough challenge in a very difficult Group B (Portugal - Germany - Denmark - Holland). 

Case to say: all together now!!!! We are going to need it but WE CAN DO IT :)

found pic @ Google Images