It’s definitely a hard question to answer. Portugal always had a great relationship with sport, especially considering its population. Portuguese people have a great sense of pride, in all achievements, in all sports, celebrating each victory as their own, even when the sport is just the “poor relative” in Portuguese society and not the consecrated football that moves entire families to stadiums.

Portugal is considered an exporter of talents and technical knowledge in various sports, with internationally recognized protagonists in this global market we live in, from great names of Portuguese sport history such as Joaquim Agostinho (Cycling), Carlos Lopes and Rosa Mota (Athletics) and Ticha Penicheiro (Women’s Basketball), but also athletes who currently continue to represent Portugal in their sports from canoeing, in which Fernando Pimenta won 3 world champion titles and five European gold medals, to futsal, where Ricardinho has been consecrated as the Best Player in the World for five years in a row, through judo where Jorge Fonseca was world champion in 2019 and Telma Monteiro is five-time European champion.

Moving on to sports on wheels, Portugal maintains its high standards and once again we have names in the top of internationally recognized athletes. Miguel Oliveira became the first Portuguese motorcyclist to compete in the main category, MotoGP, in 2019 and in 2020 against all expectations, in a final that went down in MotoGP history as one of the best final races ever, Miguel surpassed two opponents in the Red Bull Ring’s final corner towards the 2020 Styrian GP Victory.

Speaking in historical terms, at a certain point in the history of sport in Portugal, hockey was one of the most followed sport, supplanting cycling, however currently futsal and handball appear at the top of the list, but to answer my initial question, none of these will ever have the prestige of football.

Football goes far beyond the sport itself, is culturally rooted in Portuguese society and brings together several generations, whether in stadiums or in front of televisions almost every day, whatever the game in question.

For this factor, it helps a lot to have, possibly, the best player of all time, a sporting and social icon, that moves millions all over the world, whatever the field you walk on or the shirt you wear.

Before Cristiano Ronaldo, other players had great protagonism in the history of Portuguese football, such as Mario Coluna and Eusébio (Black Panther), that are both featured as 20th century’s greatest footballers, according to the International Federation of Football History & Statistics, especially for their talent, but none not so much for their marketing ability.

Every day we see how influential football is, both economically and socially, occupying the most prominent television spaces and keeping the media complete with information that every Portuguese wants to see.

Football is a mass show. It’s not just played within the four lines of a field. Football is a spectacle in the neighborhood, street and school, work colleagues and university tournaments, played and vibrated on television and radio, among friends or neighbors, in restaurants, cafes and at work. There is no separation of race, color or religion. Football goes far beyond 90 minutes. Football goes beyond social levels, education or any other type of difference that may exist between people.

As the lyrics of the song “É uma partida de futebol” (It’s a match of football), by the band Skank, say, which is, without any doubt, a mirror of Portuguese football:

“Bola na trave não altera o placar (Ball on the crossbar doesn’t change the score)

Bola na área sem ninguém para cabecear (Ball in the area with no one to head)

Bola na rede para fazer o golo (Ball in the net to score)

Quem não sonhou em ser um jogador de futebol?” (Who never dreamed of being a football player?)

The Origins and History of Fado Music

According to the Priberam Dictionary of the Portuguese Language, “fado” refers to:

1. Superior force believed to control all events.

2. What has to happen, regardless of human will.

The dictionary entry also adds a third definition, related to music:

3. Popular Portuguese song, usually performed by a vocalist (fado singer – fadista), accompanied by Portuguese guitar and classical guitar.

In Latin, fado is “fatum”, that is, destiny and sings of life’s encounters and mismatches, using saudade, love, melancholy, and sadness as inspiration. In contrast to this state of mind is the rhythm of the Portuguese guitar – only introduced later in the history of Fado – which transmits life, cheer and enthusiasm. Perhaps it is this contrast that makes Fado so special.

Initially, this musical style was sung in taverns and houses of prostitution, commonly known as ‘half-door’ houses. However, there is no record of Fado until the 19th century, and it only became known in the old neighborhoods of Lisbon.

Fado is not a tight musical genre, encompassing more than 140 different styles, being the originals: a capella, corrido and castiço.

If fado a capela is a type of fado without any kind of accompaniment, fado corrido – also known as fadinho – is fado sung and danced, which has its origin in a poetic genre in which everyday life stories were narrated. However, to make these stories more cheerful, its interpreters also began to sing about more laughable moments.

Fado castiço, commonly known as humorous fado, is characterized by the telling of caricatured stories.

Maria Severa, or simply Severa, was one of the personalities who most marked the history of Fado. Of gypsy origin, Severa worked in the so-called half-door houses and was often hired to sing Fado at the parties of the Portuguese high society of the time. At that time Fado lyrics tended to pass from mouth to mouth and from generation to generation.

But it was at the beginning of the 20th century that Ercília Costa was born, a fado singer almost forgotten by the vicissitudes of time, who was the first fado singer with an international projection and the first to cross the borders of Portugal.

The most popular themes in the lyrics of fado are Saudade, a word that has no translation of nostalgia, love or jealous relationships and small everyday stories.

However, with the appearance of Amália Rodrigues, new songs began to be written.

Amália Rodrigues is one of the biggest names in Fado and one of the most remarkable singers of the 20th century, having started her career in magazine theater. It is in the 1950s, and essentially through the figure of Amália, that Fado stands out and consolidates internationally. Other well-known names of Lisbon’s fado are Alfredo Marceneiro, Carlos do Carmo, Maria da Fé, João Braga and Lenita Gentil.

In the 90s, the musical panorama of Fado began to take on new contours and, consequently, new and talented protagonists. However, in the beginning of the 21st century, through names like António Zambujo, Raquel Tavares, Kátia Guerreiro, Ana Moura, Carminho, Gisela João or Ricardo Ribeiro that Fado attracted younger generations of listeners.

Internationally, this musical genre continues to gain prominence, collecting fans from all over the world. Mariza is currently the featured voice, earning several awards and distinctions.

The so-called “typical” fado is nowadays sung mainly for tourists, in “fado houses” and with the traditional accompaniment. The most traditional fado houses are found in the typical neighborhoods of Alfama (Clube de Fado, Mesa de Frades and Parreirinha de Alfama), Bairro Alto (A Severa – opened in 1955, Adega Machado – founded in 1937, Café Luso – founded in 1927 and O Faia – founded in 1947 by fado singer Lucília do Carmo, mother of Carlos do Carmo) and Madragoa (Senhor Vinho – founded in 1975). It keeps the characteristics of the early days: singing with sadness and feeling past and present sorrows.

The offer of sporting activities is very large and diversified in Portugal. Golf, kayaking, snowboard, diving, rappel, climbing and mountaineering are some of the options you can choose from. However, if you want higher flights, you can also surrender to parasailing and feel completely free.

Portugal has privileged natural conditions for sports practice. Come discover the sportiest side of Portugal.

Winter Sports

Climbing up to 2,000 meters in height, we can touch the sky at the top of Portugal, breathe the fresh air, enjoy the winter sun and contemplate the idyllic scenery of white snow and blue horizon in Serra da Estrela, the only place in Portugal to practice winter sports. Get ready for an exciting descent and enjoy the feeling of sliding down one of the 19 slopes in the ski resort’s snowpark. With several options for all ages, you can also choose to go sledding or use the snow donuts, snowmobiles or a hike with the help of snow sticks and snowshoes.

Water Sports

The extensive west coast of Portugal favors the existence of various sports associated with the sea, so you can find several nautical sports, namely:

• World Elite Surfing

Heading south and towards the coast of Portugal, sea lovers will have beaches with perfect waves waiting for them. Peniche the “capital of the wave” and the famous Supertubos Beach, which hosts world surfing competitions, such as the “World Surf League”.

Traveling about 50 kilometers along the coast, we reach the “cannon of Nazaré” at Praia do Norte, where you can admire the splendor of nature with giant waves that rise to more than 30 meters, where surfer Garret Macnamara holds a world record for the biggest wave surfed.

• Dive in Berlengas

The best diving area in Portugal is in the Center of Portugal, in Peniche. The marine ecosystem of the Berlengas Islands is one of the richest in Portuguese waters, and a favorite destination for amateur and professional divers.

The Adventure of getting to know Portugal by cycling

If you prefer to stay on flat land rather than at sea, Portugal also has several options for you. Explore the most fantastic places in Portugal by pedal. Before hitting the road and trails, find out about route programs at the Mountain Bike Centers. In these spaces you can get to know the network of trails, and enjoy specific conditions for mountain biking, such as changing rooms and a bicycle service station.

For less extreme activities, Portugal also has several walking routes, from north to south, that you can enjoy at a leisurely pace.

Golf

If it’s on a golf course that you find the pleasure of sport, Portugal is also the ideal destination. Elected by the World Golf Awards as Best Golf Destination in Europe for six consecutive years, between 2014 and 2019, and as Best Golf Destination in the World, between 2014 and 2018, Portugal has a great diversity of courses with characteristics suitable for various levels of difficulty and budget available.

Get your backpack ready and go on an adventure! Portugal is waiting for you!

Barcelos is an ancient Portuguese city from the 12th century, in Braga District in the Minho Province, in the north of Portugal and is part of one of the many Ways to Santiago used in Portugal.

Legend has it that in the Middle Ages, in Barcelos, a robbery took place, and the inhabitants were restless because the culprit could not be found. One night, a Galician pilgrim on his way to Santiago de Compostela decided to stay overnight in a local hostel and was reported as a criminal to the judge by one of the inhabitants. The authorities decided to arrest him and, despite his oaths of innocence, nobody believed that the Galician was on his way to Santiago de Compostela to fulfill a promise and that he was a fervent devotee of Santiago, Saint Paul and Our Lady of Fatima. The pilgrim was arrested and later sentenced to hang. On the day of his hanging, the pilgrim asked, as his last wish, to go and speak to the judge. Brought before the judge, who was having a banquet with some friends at the time, the condemned man knelt down and insisted on his innocence, begging not to be hanged.

Since no one believed him, the pilgrim pointed to the roasted rooster on the table and said:

“It is as certain I am innocent as that rooster crows when they hang me!”

Everyone around the table laughed at the statement. Later, to everyone’s amazement, legend has it that, the rooster stood up and crowed. What seemed impossible, however, became reality!

The judge ran to the gallows to prevent the hanging, and when he saw that the rope knot prevented the strangulation, he immediately had the rooster released, letting the pilgrim leave in peace, in the direction of Santiago de Compostela.

A few years later, the pilgrim returned to Barcelos and erected a monument in honor of Santiago and the Virgin Mary, since he assumed that Santiago had protected him from the gallows.

This legend is said to have passed from generation to generation, until today, and over time the figure of the Barcelos rooster has undergone modifications, until it became the colored image, and is today, one of the symbols of Portugal.

HOW TO UNDERSTAND PORTUGAL

I think that you can only have the full experience that a country has to offer when you understand the things that you see in it. The monuments, the streets, the people. And you can only do that by knowing its history.

Portugal is one of the oldest countries in Europe. It’s history is the combination of the story of Iberian tribes, Celtic peoples, the Roman Empire, Germanic kingdoms, Muslim invasions and the consequent Christian Reconquista, and finally, of the Exploration of the World.

To know the history of Portugal is to know the mentality and mindset of the Portuguese. Is to understand the streets that you will walk through when you visit it, the beautiful monuments you will see in every corner, the tales told in the ‘azulejos’ of the Churches and the houses.

And that history starts many ages ago, when the so-called Iberian tribes inhabited the territory of today’s Portugal. Then, in the beginning of the first millennium BC, Celtic tribes invaded and intermarried with the local Iberians, creating what is now known as the Celtiberians.

The Lusitanians, who inhabited the interior region of Portugal since the Iron Age, are considered the forefathers of the Portuguese nation. This is why today we have names like Lusophone, someone who speaks Portuguese, or Luso-American, a Portuguese American person. They were known for successfully fending off the Roman armies until the death of their leader, Viriathus, known as a hero in Portugal.

The tribe was considered a worthy adversary by the Romans, so much that they named the province of the whole territory of modern Portugal (south of the Douro River) and part of western Spain after them.

The Romans left various works, such as baths, temples, bridges, roads, theaters and statues, some of them are still found in the different parts of the country.

This lasted until the Barbarian invasions, when Germanic tribes migrated to various parts of the Roman Empire. In Portugal, the territory became controlled by the Germanic in the 5th century. The Kingdom of the Suebi controlled Galicia and the North and Center of Portugal, while the Visigothic Kingdom controlled the rest of the Iberian Peninsula, including the rest of Portugal, until eventually conquering the Suebi and, consequently, the whole of Iberia. This is when the rigid class structure appeared in the country, with a Nobility and Clergy getting more and more political and social power.

In the 8th century, the Islamic Umayyad Caliphate invaded the Iberian Peninsula from the North of Africa. Al-Andalus, the Islamic name for the Peninsula, became a part of the Caliphate, and Portugal with it. The Portuguese kept lots of things from their Muslim past, like many of their words, architecture and the famous ‘azulejos’.

The Christians held on in the North of the Peninsula, creating the Kingdom of the Asturias. This was until the Reconquista, when they reconquered the lands from the Moors, the Muslims.

In this Kingdom, at the end of the 9th century, a county based in the now north of Portugal was established, the County of Portugal. The county grew in power and, at the end of the 11th century, a Burgundian knight named Henry, who was fighting in the Reconquista, was crowned as ‘Count of Portugal’ and merged it with the County of Coimbra.

Henry’s son, Afonso Henriques, proclaimed himself King of Portugal in 1139 with Guimarães as its capital. This city remains known until this day as the “Cradle of the Nation’ by the Portuguese.

However, it was only in 1179 that a papal bull officially recognized Afonso I as king. The Reconquista continued with the Algarve, the south of the country, finally being conquered in 1249, and Lisbon becoming the capital in 1255. Since then, Portugal’s land borders have remained almost unchanged, being considered one of the longest standing borders in Europe.

The Kingdom of Portugal remained very important in Europe’s (and especially Iberian) politics, waging several wars against Spain, creating an alliance with England (the longest standing alliance in the world, lasting until today) and starting the “Age of Discovery”.

In this Age, the country built a vast empire, having territory all over the world, from South America to Oceania. They started by exploring their coast and adventuring into the Moroccan coast, hoping to continue the Reconquista to the North of Africa. Then, the Portuguese sailors started to adventure into the open sea, when they discovered the islands of the Canaries, Madeira, Azores and Cape Verde. Subsequently, the Portuguese explored the coast of Africa, setting trading ports, and tried to discover the maritime route to India, which they did in 1498, under the explorer Vasco da Gama.

They continued to explore and look for trade around the world, from Africa, passing through Arabia, and reaching Japan, setting several outposts, many of them having developed into colonies later on. In 1500, they reached South America and started the colonization of Brazil.

The Empire started to decline, however, when the Dutch, English, and French got in the game. They started to surround or conquer the scattered Portuguese trading posts and territories, diminishing their power. On the Battle of Alcácer-Quibir, in 1578, Portugal lost its king, becoming part of a dynastic union with Spain that lasted until 1640, when it finally gained its independence again.

After that, the country never became the great power it once was. It lost several colonies (including its largest one, Brazil) and trade routes, it saw its capital being destroyed by an earthquake in 1755 and it was occupied during the Napoleonic Wars.

From then on, Portugal was a minor power in Europe, having just some colonies in Africa and Asia and never becoming an economic powerhouse.

Then, in 1910, due to corruption, dissatisfaction with the several Kings and the loss of claimed African lands to the English, the monarchy ended and a Republic was created. Fiercely secular, to the point where it was antichurch, filed with corruption, government instability and near to bankruptcy, the regime came to an end with a military coup in 1926.

A military dictatorship was installed and then, a fascist-like regime, the ‘Estado Novo’ (‘New State’), headed by António de Oliveira Salazar. This period was marked by authoritarianism, lack of freedom and, from 1961, by the Portuguese Colonial War.

All of this ended when, in April 25^th 1974, the Carnation Revolution happened, carried out by the Armed Forces Movement (Movimento das Forças Armadas – MFA), a movement of young left-leaning captains of the Portuguese Armed Forces. With the Revolution, democratic reforms were made and the first free elections with multiple parties happened, as well as the independence of all of Portugal’s colonies.

It also started the PREC (Processo Revolucionário Em Curso – Ongoing Revolutionary Process), a period when conservative and left-leaning forces inside the MFA confronted each other, marked by political turmoil, violence, instability, and the nationalization and expropriation of private lands. It came to an end on the 25 November 1975, when the MFA moderates appeared as the main force.

Nevertheless, revolutionary achievements were not forgotten, with the Constitution pledging until this day to realize socialism, as well as declaring extensive nationalizations and land seizures as irreversible, many, however, now overturned.

Nowadays, Portugal is one of 15 most sustainable states in the world and considered the third most peaceful. It has high living standards and a good economy. It was a founding member of NATO, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries. It entered the European Economic Community (now the European Union) in 1986 and is one of its most fierce supporters, even having produced a European Commission President.

This beautiful “garden by the sea planted” is a beautiful and rich country, filled with stories to tell in every little city you can find and with many traditions that can be traced back to either the Celts, the Romans, the early Christians or even the Muslims. An open mindset due to its revolution but a Catholic population because of its Reconquista.

I hope this has helped you shed a light on what “is” Portugal, but to truly understand it, you may really have to visit it.