Religion and Folklore
The folklore of Portugal can
hardly be considered apart from the Catholic faith which is its main basis and
inspiration. Even when a pagan custom, or some tradition from the Celtic days
remains, it has usually been in some way transformed in order to be
incorporated into the present religion of the country, such ‑as the giving of
phallic or fertility symbols of Lupin seeds at Amarante, a pagan custom that
today is made part of the feast of São Gonzalo, the patron saint in charge of
marrying off single women.
The Portuguese are a devout
people. Fishing and farming, they have long been concerned with the unseen
forces that control the weather, the sea, the soil's fertility and the seasons.
They have desired a personal interpretation of Christianity, which allows for
the feeling that there is some human‑like being who helps them in their struggle
to maintain existence in the face of these often hostile forces.
The Portuguese way of
Catholicism places great stress on the merciful and compassionate nature of
Jesus. It was not always so. We know that during the period of the reconquest
from the Moors, religion was a good deal more warlike. Then the Portuguese,
like the Spanish, used the cross as a tower of strength and power to counter
Allah, the war God of the Moors.
In a later period,
Catholicism was the spiritual fire behind the great navigational discoveries of
the school of Prince Henry the Navigator, who was himself the governor of an
order of warrior monks, the Order of Christ. Prince Henry often stated that his
main aim in the discoveries was to spread and expand Christianity throughout
the unenlightened of the ,world. A crusader‑like spirit animated these voyages.
Historical records and the
actual deeds of the Portuguese colonizers proves quite clearly the Portuguese
belief in Catholicism as a universalizing agent. It was never for their dark
skins that the non‑European peoples were discriminated against by the
Portuguese, but for their opposite religions, and where they converted, as in
Brazil, they were incorporated into the society much more rapidly than under
more northern colonists, who believed that skin pigmentation was far more
important than cultural or religious difference as a rationale for segregation.
Today, in Portugal, with
grandiose ambitions more or less settled, the flame of Catholicism burns with a
different kind of glow, and people are mostly concerned with the ability of the
saints to guard them on a fishing expedition, to get them a partner in
marriage, or to help them pass their examinations at Coimbra University.
But religion takes on an aura
of seriousness in certain places and at certain times. The places are the most
important shrines of the country, Fatima, Braga Lamego, and Viana do Castelo.
The first, Fatima, is by far
the most famous, attracting visitors and pilgrims from all over the world.
This famous site of the
appearances of the Virgin Mary lies about 36 miles to the east of Nazaré. There
is a central square made larger than that of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome,
built to accommodate up to half a million kneeling worshippers, though only
once has that figure been gathered together, when the Pope celebrated Mass
there in 1967, the fiftieth anniversary of the apparitions.
It was in this place that
three poor children, Francisco, Jacinto and Lucia, saw "nossa senhora"
on May 13, 1917, and on the thirteenth of each month after that until the final
appearance on October 13.
By October, of course, the
claims of the children had raised a tremendous stir and controversy, and they
were joined at the site by something like 75,000 persons, both believers and
non‑believers along with many reporters and others who were simply curious.
It was pouring rain. Winds of
great strength came driving in from the Atlantic, chilling and threatening
everyone, perhaps as a test of faith. Then, at around noontime, the sky
suddenly opened up and the sun appeared to be hurtling toward those who had
gathered, like a ball of fire. The story was substantiated by all the
onlookers.
Today, at Fatima, there is a
chapel in the Neo‑Classic style. But the main sight is not the basilica. It is
the massive crowds that gather there on the thirteenth of each month from May
through October, with the largest crowds on the opening and closing dates of
the season. Here one can get a taste of the deep faith of the Portuguese.
Especially when one sees the most impressive sight, the many women who make
this pilgrimage across the huge square and even further on embloodied knees,
suffering immensely but gladly in an action of perfect faith.
There is nothing like Fatima
anywhere else in Portugal, but the three shrines at Braga, Viana do Castelo and
Lamego, which are related in style and period, and have other imitations in
other parts of the country, are another epiphany of Portuguese faith.
The shrines are built on
hillsides, consisting of a very long, difficult‑to‑climb series of steps
crowned at the top of a hill by a chapel in the Portuguese Baroque style,
Joanine, described in the section on architecture, "Art and Culture".
These shrines, with their
individual eccentricities, are each more fully described in the gazeteer
section of this book. But it is sufficient to say here that one sees the
sacrifices of Fatima performed in an even more painful and arduous fashion on
the hillside shrines. Women from all over Portugal, but especially the north
where the people are said to be more devout in general, walk up these many
steps on their knees, pausing to offer up a prayer at each landing. It is a
sight to warm the hearts of believers, and its effect on the non‑religious is
just the opposite.
But while the serious side of
Portuguese worship is indeed profound, the joyous aspects are equally
emphasized, and form the basis for the delightful folklore the tourist sees as
he travels through the land.
Most of the enjoyments are
associated with the various saints, lesser deities in a religion that finds an
incarnation for all of the aspirations of the human soul. Each village, besides
having its patron Virgin, has a favorite saint, and a day dedicated to
celebrating him with garlands of flowers, special foods, fireworks, dancing and
so on.
The most popular and
spectacular Saints' Days take place in June. The place to be for them is
Lisbon. The 13th of the month is for St. Anthony, the 24th dedicated to St.
John and the 29th is for St. Peter. On these days the whole city is a large
party, but especially the Alfama and the Barreo Alto, the oldest parts of
Lisbon where live the poorest, most devout and most capable of simple joy.
These two areas of Lisbon
will be awake all night during the Saints' Days, with ample fireworks to
discourage anyone who might have thought of sleeping. Tables are set up in
every patio; sausages, sardines and fried chicken are served with simple wine,
and Fado singers are hired to charm the celebrants with their plaintiff strains
of song.
Though the basic celebrations
are the same for all the Saints' Days, there are a number of individual
charming folk traditions, such as the already mentioned exchange of phallic
symbols on Sâo Gonsalo Day in Amarante, the hanging of pig flesh (sausages or
smoked ham) on fig tree branches during the day of São Antao in the Alentejo,
the Parade of the Giants in Guimarães on St. Walter's Day and many others.
Then there are the Romarias,
which Portugal has in common with Spain. These are religious processions to
some shrine or the site of a miracle, which combine devoutness, joyousness, and
even profit as the procession is usually accompanied by a market of the local
crafts.
The Romaria may last a day or
several days, and may ' draw only the local populace or pilgrims from all over
the peninsula. Depending on the size of the pre‑Romaria collection, the
fireworks may be extremely elaborate, the musicians from the very accomplished,
the statues of the Virgin of great richness and gaudiness.
A very common feature of the
Romaria is the carrying of a candle to the site on an ox‑cart, beautifully
decorated. When the candle arrives, the real festivities begin, with fireworks,
music and dancing. The participants have accompanied the ox‑cart, and upon
arrival, they circle the goal several times, afterwards kissing the feet of the
favored statue. Sometimes they perform acts of penitence, such as making the
circles on their knees.
The cripples who come on
these Romarias hoping to gain a miraculous cure may often submit sculptures of
the afflicted limbs or organs.
The statues are charming
rather than bloody and tortured as they often are in neighboring Spain. They
may be decorated richly with jewels and expensive robes, and then there are the
exotic ones such as the Virgin of the Milk, with milk engorged breasts, said to
be especially propitious for nursing mothers.
Once the religious part of
the Romaria is concluded, there is a great outdoor picnic. If you pass one of
these you are sure to be invited to partake in the roast chickens and wine that
is passed around, and perhaps you'll learn some of the dances that will take
place as the evening progresses.
From the shape and painting
of a fishing boat to the way of harvesting, Portugal is a land where everything
the people do has some traditional meaning. The examples are so many and varied
that the traveler cannot miss them. This is a land where folklore is not
something collected and sometimes patronizingly appreciated by a nostalgic
middle class. Folklore is totally alive in Portugal, and if you tried to live
in a small Portuguese town without participating in the folklore your life
would be empty indeed.
In the Alentejo one sees it
in the lore of shepherding, with the traditional tools of the craft: the cork
bucket, "tarro", for soup, the earthenware water jars with their
ancient and traditional design, the hand‑carved horn for carrying the luncheon
olives, the black scarves and flat black hats worn by ninety per cent of the
women.
Along the coast there are the
famous costumes of the fishermen as in Nazare, with the long, black, knit cap
dating from the Phoenician fishermen and the plaid wool shirts and pantaloons
that are the proud badge of one of the last remaining totally masculine
professions. There is the design of the fishing boats of Aveiro and Nazaré,
with the long, upswept and pointed prows and the occasional mystic eyeball
painted on the side, to protect the fisherman from who knows what unseen
powers. And lastly the traditional drawing in of the boats by oxen.
There are myriad fishermen's
customs, special saints, special behavior and the very special custom of the
fisheren's wives remaining faithful to them even if they have been lost at sea
for several years.
Then there are the folk
dances of the Portuguese. In the Igarve there is the passionate and lively
Corridinho, for which he women dress in their traditional black costumes.
The most famous folk dance of
Portugal, the Fandango, as its place in Ribatejo, where the man dances alone.
The 'escovinho" is also danced in this region.
In the north, where peasant
traditions are strong, there re many folk dances, among them the
"Chulas" and "danças os Pauliteiros" of the remote Trás‑os‑Montes
region, the energetically performed "Viras" and "Gotas" of
the Minho, and he dances in which the women show off their traditional
jewelery, the "Malhao" and "Perim".
There is a whole world of
folk‑art and craft in this tiny country. From north to south one encounters the
most exquisite needlework, but the most famous is that of Guimarães. Hand
embroidery from the coastal region and lace articles are also included among the
folk arts.
In Barcelos you'll find a
kind of small, naive ceramics work that will not fail to capture your heart.
Comical little depictions of religious scenes or household peasant scenes are
depicted with great charm. From the same region comes the cabbage‑leaf pottery,
with pots in vegetable design.
In another region of the
north, Trás‑os‑Montes, the ceramic work is given a smoked black look by some
trick in the firing. This gives it the look, if not the durability, of pewter.
Alentejo pottery, especially
that of Estremoz, is highly prized for its naive expression. Quite often marble
chips are embedded in the ceramic.
Woodwork is found in Minho
and Alentejo, where lonely farmers have long days in which to carve the most
intricate designs. The famous woodcarving is done in the bark of the cork tree,
and there are examples of the most elaborate nature. One can hardly imagine the
patience that goes into this folk‑craft.
Inside the house of an
Alentejo peasant, there is hardly anything carvable that has not been in some
way embellished by knife work, from the plates to the toothpicks.
In the north, one is always
seeing ox‑drawn carts along the road. If there is a chance, take a look at the
yokes of the oxen. Here, too, you will see the intricate work of the Portuguese
woodcarver.
The best place to see all
this folk art gathered together is the Museum of Folk‑Art in Belém, near
Lisbon, but each region also has its museum of the regional art. There is one
in Estremoz, an excellent one, there is one in Coimbra and one in Faro for the
art of the Algarve region. Be sure to stop in wherever you see a museum of folk‑art,
as this is really one of the main things to see in the country. The Ministry of
Tourism in each town quite often has its own display of local crafts, as in
Barcelos.
The Fado (the word means
"fate") is the unique musical expression of Portugal; unique and
typical in the way that Flamenco is to Spain, or the blues to the United
States. It is the result of a blending of musical styles until something was
produced that perfectly mirrors a predominant feeling within the country. '
Just what these elements are
that were blended to produce Fado no one seems to know, though everyone claims
to. Some of the influence might have come from the Arabs. Certainly the Arabs
ruled here for some time, and the music has a definite Arabic quality of
chanting.
Others say the music came
from sub‑Saharan Africa, specifically from the Congo and its
"lundum", though the explanation of how that obscene dance traveled
so far and transformed its character so radically seems over precious.
Then there is the theory of
which the Portuguese are particularly fond, that the Fado originated from the
sad survivors of the Battle of Alcazar Quivir, in which Portugal, by the
severity of the losses encountered, more or less finished its role of world
significance. We like this theory, it being entirely Portuguese and entirely
romantic.
Whatever its origins, it has
been the main musical act of Lisbon since the 1830's. It is rooted deeply in
the city of Lisbon though there is a variety of Fado coming from Coimbra, upon
which purists frown.
The Fado is usually sung by a
woman, though there have been some well‑known male Fado singers. Somehow, its
unashamed complaining, its deeply expressed anguish combined with hopelessness,
makes it a feminine art.
The woman singer will be
dressed in a black shawl and ‑black dress. She will be accompanied by two
stringed instruments, an ordinary guitar and a Portuguese twelve‑stringedguitar.
The audience must be totally silent while she sings.
The songs are supposed to be
sad ones, though recent. Fado writers have begun to introduce gayer songs with more
variant rhythms. However, the basic Fado sings of the inevitable tragedies of
life, the loss of loved ones, the death. of children, etc., etc.
While the atmosphere surrounding
Fado used to be tough and dangerous, the singers often part‑time prostitutes
and them con‑artists and pimps, today all that has changed. They are all located
either in the Alfama or the Bairro Alto. All the authentic ones, that is. And
the Portuguese designation is casas de fado.
If you want to see a
performance of Fado, and you certainly should, come about ten or ten‑thirty and
expect to stay quite late, as the performance gets better with the lateness of
the hour. The Fado houses serve dinner and snacks, as well as drinks, but it is
not necessary to order a meal. Don't worry. You'll end up paying well for your
seat, as the minimum is generally quite high in any Fado establishment of
reputation and quality.
Looking to hear good Fado
does not require the same sort of search as does Flamenco. Of course, even the
best singers do have off nights, and a usually mediocre performer can suddenly
be filled with inspiration, but by and large, the best fadistas, such. as
Amalia Rodriguez, are well known, command the highest salaries, and sing in the
most expensive casas de fado.