The People

Everything is still just as it ought to be . . . Portugal has changed the world far beyond what one would have 'expected from its small size . . . Portugal, the country of the past is the proud parent of Brazil, the land of the future . . . the sea and land have been systematically exploited until its workers found a settled, unchanging way of extra extracting healthy sustenance . . . there are cities of great beauty, picturesque towns and glorious cathedrals and monasteries . . . family ties are stable, the young girls chaste, the wives notoriously faithful, the men responsible and enduring . . .

Yet there is this sadness... this sweet presence of the if the air and the memory of a more glorious age: if only there had not been that earthquake ...if only he had sailed back out of that gale with a boat full of sardinhas . . . if only we were rich and great again . . . Suadades.

It is more than an emotion, suadade, and somewhat less than a way of life. It is a national style, signaled by a serious demeanor and proclaiming that one has fully experienced life's fate of hard‑won gains followed by irreversible loss.

A large part of what remains behind is the dearly acquired ability to render all this feeling in beautiful song. Fados the word means fates ‑ sing of the sad inescapable of life. We will have occasion to speak more later about this national musical expression. It will suffice to say here that this is something inextricably connected to the suadades, and the single most easily appreciated expression of the Portuguese character.

Making comparisons between the Portuguese and their Iberian neighbors is a temptation to which nearly all writers on Portugal succumb, and we are no exception. The difference is tremendous. Yet this is not really so surprising. After all, once Portugal became a country, its national history took á very different course from that of Spain.

Consider the ways in which the two countries handled their South American colonies, the Spanish Conquistadores ravishing and destroying so that in Mexico, for example, one finds not a single statue of that nation's Spanish discoverer, Hernan Cortes. The Portuguese, by contrast, took the natives, and even later their black slaves from Africa, as concubines, legitimizing the resulting children until Brazil became a society of half‑breeds, quarter‑breeds, etc.

They are a tolerant people, the Portuguese, for whom a man's race did not and does not signify his worth. Since 1612 a native of the African, Asian or South American provinces has been legally a citizen of Portugal, entitled to live and work in Lisbon, if he so desires.

Such handling of the subject peoples is also due to the romantic bent in the Portuguese. Portuguese colonists were inclined to fall in love with the people they had conquered, and if they could do this, were they likely to consider the children of such a union inferior to those of their arranged, homoracial marriages? Certainly not. 'The Spanish were much more restrained about love, regarding it as a dangerous emotion, almost a necessary evil, rather than a compensation for the general suadade of life.

The comparative gentleness and playfulness of the Portuguese is also seen in the fact that in Portuguese bullfights, it is illegal to kill the bull. The Portuguese delight in the skill with which the bull is played, both on horseback and on foot, but not in the "moment of truth", during which, in neighboring Spain, the bull must be dispatched with a sword.

To leave off from comparisons now, and speak directly of the Portuguese, there are many qualities of particular interest to tourists, such as friendliness, love of conversation, hospital

ity to strangers, politeness, etc. These qualities make your stay in Portugal full of extra bonuses, the adventure that results from easily made friendships with the people of the country , and the good will with which each service is performed for you.

There is something regal, too, in the good manners and pride of those employed in the service occupations. A shoe shine boy or a waiter becomes an aristocrat doing what should

be expected for his guest, and with a perfectionism that shows he is proud of his work.

E The aristocratic behavior extends much further than this.

In fact, it permeates all relationships and activities. All the Portuguese behave like wealthy lords. Whether their wealth is in the past, present or future makes not one iota of practical difference.

They are people of great individualism who cannot be expected to tie their grandiose schemes to the bounds of time or money. You may be upset if the man who was supposed to meet you for a business appointment at 2 does not appear until 4, but you should not be.

After all, if the King of England were late for an appointment, you would assume that some thing important came up to change his plans. Assume the same for your friend in Portugal, who onsides himself no less important, and whose affairs are as vital to him as the King's. The Portuguese are a sentimental people. They value little gifts, such as flowers or candy, which you should bring if invited to a Portuguese home. They are sentimental about home and country too, and a compliment to one of these is a sure passport to popularity.

As farmers, they are a most hardworking and painstaking group. Their methods are not necessarily the fastest, but the products of their labors are certainly among the tastiest and most healthful. Among those interested in natural foods, the Portuguese products are most highly regarded, what with sea‑weed fertilized fields and tree‑ripened fruits.

There is a penchant in these serious people for sudden explosions of gaiety in festas and holidays. Literally sudden explosions, as huge fireworks displays are the favorite event of any celebration in Portugal.

One is more than likely to be awakened early at least once while in Portugal by a rapid succession of rockets exploding to announce the . opening of a festa or the day of an important wedding. And if one is in Lisbon during the June festas, it is a matter of staying awake all night to the flash of skyrockets and the boom of firecrackers.

The festas also include wonderful displays of colorful regional dress, which contrasts startlingly with the everyday sober dress of the Portuguese peasant. While ninety per cent of the peasant's wardrobe is basic black, the holiday dress may be glaring white with red sashes, or of many bright colors, perhaps set off by up to ten pounds of glittering golden necklaces.

Strict cleanliness is almost a fetish among the Portuguese, ' especially regarding matters of the kitchen. Law dictates that sugar, for example, must always be served in paper packages. This cleanliness is a real delight to the experienced tourist, c. who knows the ills that low standards in this area can cause him.

The Portuguese villages and towns also reflect this penchant for cleanliness. The houses are almost always freshly white washed, both inside and out, and even the sidewalks are washed regularly. Litter is an infrequent phenomenon in Portugal, even at popular picnic sites, and the Portuguese do a lot of picnicking.

All in all, this is a people which cannot help but win your fond admiration, with their gentle humanism and their stoic acceptance of a fate that seems to have doled out more

misfortune than they deserved. One can easily appreciate that their suadade, their sweet sadness, is a fitting and noble posture for the graceful old age of a hauntingly lovely civilization, of

whose virtues the present world could stand a far stronger dose.