Portugal Day is a national holiday in Portugal that is celebrated annually on June 10th, the day of the death of poet Luis de Camões. This day pays tribute to Portugal, the Portuguese people, the Lusophone culture, and the Portuguese presence worldwide.
Initially started out as a municipal holiday in Lisbon, dedicated to Camões, later on the Estado Novo regime turned it into a national holiday, known as the Day of Camões, Portugal, and the Portuguese “Race.”
During the dictatorship there was a great emphasis on 'the nation' and a strong focus on the colonies and how they all belonged to one Portuguese “race,” at this point in time it was a "nationalistic holiday".
After the April 25th Revolution, it was simply named "Day of Portugal, Camões, and the Portuguese Communities".
Statue of Luis de Camoes at Jardim Marques de Pombal, Oeiras, Portugal. Photo by Pedro Ribeiro Simões (Flickr)
Portugal Day is now celebrated in Portugal and all over the world. This year's 'Portugal Day celebrations, Camões and the Portuguese Communities' will take place in Figueiró dos Vinhos, Pedrógão Grande, Castanheira de Pera, Coimbra and in Geneva, Bern and Zurich and even in Switzerland!
The Celebrations begin on June 9th, at the Memorial in Homage to the Victims of the 2017 Forest Fires, with the National Flag Hoisting Ceremony, followed by a Tribute to the Victims of the 2017 Forest Fires. At the end of the morning, a Mass in Figueiró dos Vinhos dedicated to the Victims.
During the afternoon, in Castanheira de Pera, the Diplomatic Corps will present its greetings to the President of the Republic, followed by a reception. The first day of the Celebrations ends with a concert and a multimedia show at Praia das Rocas, in Castanheira de Pera.
The program on the 10th begins in Pedrógão Grande, with the Military Ceremony Commemorating Portugal Day, in which more than 1,300 military personnel from the 3 branches of the Armed Forces participate.
After the Military Ceremony, the President of the Republic, accompanied by the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, leaves for Coimbra for the celebrations of Camões' 500th birthday. At the University of Coimbra, he visits the Joanina Library and presides over the Evocative Ceremony for the 500th anniversary of Camões, ending the day with a musical show in Páteo das Escolas.
On the morning of the following day, the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister leave for Switzerland to continue the celebrations of the Day of Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese Communities of 2024.
What are they doing in your town today?
:)
Sources: Image: https://www.officeholidays.com/
News: https://www.presidencia.pt/atualidade/toda-a-atualidade/2024/06/comemoracoes-do-dia-de-portugal-de-camoes-e-das-comunidades-portuguesas-2024/