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Portuguese holidays explained
Posted 3/23/2012 Updated 3/23/2012
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Commentary by Eduardo Lima
65th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
3/23/2012 - LAJES FIELD, Portugal -- The Azores, as well as mainland Portugal, observe several holidays throughout the year. Below is a list of those holidays and a brief description of their meaning.
Note: Although the Portuguese Government has announced the intention to eliminate two religious and two non-religious holidays this year, those dates have not been confirmed to date.
New Years' Day - Jan. 1- Religious holiday.
Mardi Gras - Variable Tuesday. Not an official holiday, celebrates the Fat Tuesday related with the Mardi Gras tradition on mainland Portugal, Madeira island and the Azores.
Good Friday - Variable Friday. Religious holiday observing the death of Jesus Christ.
Day of Liberty - April 25. National holiday that commemorates the 25 April 1974 military coup which ended 47 years of right-wing dictatorship in Portugal and restored democracy to the country.
Day of the Worker (Labor Day) - May 1. This holiday was first celebrated in Portugal in 1974, and observes the U.S. workers' demonstration in Chicago and Milwaukee on May 1 1886, to reduce the work day down to eight hours.
Espirito Santo (Holy Ghost) Monday - Variable Monday. This is the day the Azoreans celebrate the Day of the Azores or Day of Regional Autonomy. The day was picked in observation for the Holy Ghost celebration which is a tradition common to all the nine Azorean islands.
Day of Portugal - June 10. Also known as the Day of Camões and the Portuguese communities - Camões was a renowned Portuguese poet who lived in the 16th century and traveled extensively throughout the Far East countries. He is still a symbol of the Portuguese conquers.
Angra Municipal Holiday - Day of St. John the Baptist. It is celebrated during the island's largest festival called "Sanjoaninas."
Corpus Christi - Variable Thursday. Religious holiday.
Praia da Vitória Municipal Holiday - Aug. 11. This date commemorates an important naval battle that took place in Praia bay on 11 Aug. 1829 between two political factions, the Absolutists and the Liberals, ending with the victory of the Liberals. Due to Praia's support to the Liberals' cause the town was added the name "Vitória" (victory) in 1837.
Assumption Day - Aug. 15. Religious holiday.
Founding of the Republic - Oct. 5.This date commemorates the day the Republican regime was established in Portugal in 1910.
All Saint's Day - 1 November. Religious holiday.
Restoration of Independence - Dec. 1. The date commemorates the Dec. 1, 1640 revolution that ended 60 years of Spanish occupation of Portugal.
Immaculate Conception - Dec. 8. Religious holiday.
Christmas Day - Dec. 25. It's also a religious holiday in Portugal.
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