EASTER TRADITIONS IN PORTUGAL PÁSCOA

Centro Escolar de Portela

In this time of the year we celebrate the rising of Jesus from the death. The Resurrection Day is celebrated after 40 days from Carnival, the beggining of the Lent.

RELIGION Braga in the north of Portugal has a festive atmosphere during the “Semana Santa”(Holy Week). The Ecce Homo Procession on Good Friday, led by the Farricocos (barefoot men in tunics with hoods) ,is one of the most peculiar parts of the Portuguese religious tradition.

On Easter Sunday, church bells woke up people to announce Jesus ressurrection, people went to the mess and then went back home to wait for the priest. Everybody received the priest at home so that the whole family and the house itself could be blessed with holy water. All people used to kiss the holy cross.

All streets were beautifully decorated with flowers on the floor and the richer people used to put at the windows rich embroidery coverlets.

EATING TRADITIONIn Easter the tradition is eating almonds and chocolate eggs.

“Pão de Ló”, a traditional cake..

THE “FOLAR”

In Portugal, godparents and godmothers always offer a “folar”, the Portuguese Easter cake, to godchildren in tribute to the feast of Ressurrection of Jesus. “Folar” recipe:Ingredients:1 kg flour, 5 dl of milk, 250 gr butter or margarine, Salt, 35 gr of bakers ferment, 1 spoon of coffee of herbsweet, 100 gr of sugar, 3 eggs, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.

PREPARATION OF THE “FOLAR

Dissolve the ferment in some warm milk and, with 200 flour gr, make a mass. Let to leaven .Work the remaining flour with the eggs, the sugar and the milk, until obtaining a very light mass, with plenty of body. Add the margarine later, salt, to herb-candy and the cinnamon. Work well the mass and, finally, join it the ferment that was to leaven.Work the mass until it comes off of the hands and of the alguidar( plastic pot). Cover with a cloth and let to leaven during 2 at 5 hours in warm place.After that time, divide the mass in balls and flatten them. On each one it places 1 or more hard eggs, according to the size of the base of the mass.Hold the eggs with some mass ribbons. Paint with a brush with egg yolk and cook in hot oven.

THE EASTER SUNDAY LUNCH Apart from Christmas Lunch , we can say that Easter Lunch is the most important meal of Portuguese Christians. Traditionally, on Easter Sunday, we have a meat plate: generally kidgoat or lamb, but a lot of times also Pig (roasted pig or ham). In some areas they include in Easter menu a stuffed pie of several meats and eggs.

Visited sites:

www.esec-eca-queiros-lsb.rcts.pt/.../festival.htmlwww.traditions.no.sapo.pt/portuguese_easter.htmwww.at1ce.org/themenreihe.p?c=Ceremonieswww.visitportugal.com