Colors of Porto - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

A truly irresistible passion for various holidays and mass celebrations is one of the main national characteristics of local residents. Colorful carnivals, costume balls and parades occur here because of various reasons. Local residents don’t forget to honor numerous patrons of the city and its saints, so here are often organized fairs and pilgrimages to holy sites. As a rule, all festive activities are accompanied by dancing, musical performances, and fireworks. Of course, on these days local cafes become popular places as they offer widest choice of delicacies and special holiday menus.

"Big Fountain" holiday, which is celebrated on May 1, remains one of the most unusual festivals of the city. Due to the climate a fairly dry weather prevails on the territory of the country, so since ancient times the natives have developed traditions of honoring "gods of water". The main aim of such celebrations was to ask gods to give people a rich harvest. However, the holiday has changed with time, and so nowadays on May 1 residents of the city decorate their homes and fishing boats with wreaths of flowers, and celebrate "the renewal of nature". June 10 is the date of a national holiday - Day of Portugal, and October 5 is the time for another, but no less important celebration - Republic Day.

Local people have numerous interesting traditions that must be definitely followed during the celebration of important dates and events. As vine is known as one of the most important national symbols, the presence of grape on a holiday table has always been a good sign. On New Year's night, when the clock strikes midnight, it’s necessary to make a wish and eat a grape. If you do this, the locals believe your dream will come true. Many people wear special holiday clothes on the days of important holidays. As a rule, these are outfits that are skillfully embroidered with elaborate patterns. If you look closely, you can find something like a vine in these intricate patterns. Vine is considered a symbol of wealth and prosperity, so various images of the vine are used to decorate not only clothes, but also various interior items and furniture. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Perhaps, the brightest and most memorable place in Portugal is the city of Porto. In general, Porto is the capital of the wine industry of the country. When they speak of Portuguese wine, they mean Porto wine. Also, in Porto pass numerous interesting events, so you will not get bored here definitely. If you came to Porto in June, be ready to celebrate one of the most striking traditional festivals of Europe - the Bonfires of Saint John. This festival is the favorite and most anticipated one among local people. In Porto, the Bonfires of Saint John starts early in the evening on June 23 and lasts until dawn the next day. The list of popular entertainment includes street concerts, dance parties, jumping over bonfires, revels with an abundance of wine and national snacks. Moreover, you will be able to enjoy the traditional ritual of launching various "sky lanterns" into the air. The peak of celebration comes at midnight when the Porto's sky starts to blossom with colorful fireworks.

Portuguese people like to eat deliciously and treat their guests heartily. In the city of Porto at the gastronomic festival, Ao Gosto do Porto or August in Porto, treats the tourists and residents with an abundance of dishes and amazing hospitality. If you happened to arrive at Porto in early August - consider yourself the luckiest person in the world! This event lasts for three weeks and is divided in three decades. The first decade is devoted to one of the Portuguese traditional dishes, the second - to seafood and variety of cooking methods prevailed on it. The third decade is no less shock - it is dedicated the national meat cuisine. The festival takes place in St. Lazarus Gardens, which is a popular city park here. Note that it's better to visit this event with an empty stomach. Moreover, here you will also find the cocktail bar where you can try delicious alcoholic cocktails and, of course, the Porto wine.

Do you like video games and superheroes? If yes, so there is no other choice for you but book tickets to Porto for early December. Here in Porto, the Portuguese version of Comic-Con festival is gathering the fans of fantastic pop culture from different countries. Within the framework of Comic-Con, more than 65 large-scale expositions will be opened in Porto from leading manufacturers of video games, publishers of comic books and magazines, as well as major thematic stores. The atmosphere of the festival Comic Con Portugal will be supported by cosplay enthusiasts - the art of dressing as the heroes of fantastic comic books, movies, and anime. Closer to the finale of the holiday, there will be the contest "Heroes of Cosplay", where the best costume will be chosen. The Comic-Con Portugal" will be held on the territory of the International Exhibition Center Exponor. Tickets for the event should be booked in advance and prices range from 17.5 euros.