Speaking of holiday traditions

[LotusBud]

Portugal has 15 national holidays a year. Three of them have to do with Portuguese indepndence, either from colonizers or dictators.

In addition to these holidays, every municipality has a Saint's Day for their own saint. It's an official holiday in that municipality, and there is always a festa attached -- food (with giant grills that allow for cooking meat for the whole town), music (a big stage and sound system usually set up), crafts, entertainment, and usually some kind of showcasing of what's special or historically interesting or something that's considered native to that region. Everyone comes out for these festas. They are during the summer, so one does not have to travel more than a few kilometers to enjoy a festa almost every day in the summer. The one in the city I am next to lasts 10 days! (The holiday is still only one day), and the city pays tops musicians to entertain everyone for free every night for 10 nights. It's actually in the fall. The Portuguese really enjoy their festas and their music, and the whole family always goes, so all ages are there.

It's almost impossible to remember all of these holidays. You have to check before you make plans to do semething at a shop or office to make sure it's not a holiday that day.

 

[Lily]

That's a great way for the Portuguese to not only live in the moment but also stay connected as a people.

We need more of that here in the states.

 

[LotusBud]

That's a great way for the Portuguese to not only live in the moment but also stay connected as a people.

We need more of that here in the states.

Indeed. Here, in general, time and family are more important than career and ambition. Three hour lunches are absolutely typical. It's probably why Portuguese people are so incredibly kind and non-violent.

Of course, Lisbon and Porto are totally different...

 

[The New Holliday]

That's a great way for the Portuguese to not only live in the moment but also stay connected as a people.

We need more of that here in the states.

 

[The Prowler]

Portugal has 15 national holidays a year. Three of them have to do with Portuguese indepndence, either from colonizers or dictators.

In addition to these holidays, every municipality has a Saint's Day for their own saint. It's an official holiday in that municipality, and there is always a festa attached -- food (with giant grills that allow for cooking meat for the whole town), music (a big stage and sound system usually set up), crafts, entertainment, and usually some kind of showcasing of what's special or historically interesting or something that's considered native to that region. Everyone comes out for these festas. They are during the summer, so one does not have to travel more than a few kilometers to enjoy a festa almost every day in the summer. The one in the city I am next to lasts 10 days! (The holiday is still only one day), and the city pays tops musicians to entertain everyone for free every night for 10 nights. It's actually in the fall. The Portuguese really enjoy their festas and their music, and the whole family always goes, so all ages are there.

It's almost impossible to remember all of these holidays. You have to check before you make plans to do semething at a shop or office to make sure it's not a holiday that day.

This is a benefit of living in a predominately monocultural society.

That will all change if Portugal allows a bunch of black Muslims to live there.

 

[Lily]

Indeed. Here, in general, time and family are more important than career and ambition. Three hour lunches are absolutely typical. It's probably why Portuguese people are so incredibly kind and non-violent.

Of course, Lisbon and Porto are totally different...

I don't believe that people have to be homogeneous to exist in a healthy environment together. I think they just need to have similar values, such as family and the importance of their communities.

 

[LotusBud]

I don't believe that people have to be homogeneous to exist in a multicultural environment together. I think they just need to have similar values, such as family and the importance of their communities.

Indeed. Portugal is no longer homogenous at all. And in general, the people here see everyone else as just as worthy as they are. There are many black Africans and black Brazilians living here, lots of Indians, Middle Easterners, and people from European countries that speak different languages and have different traditions. There is a very tiny slice of Portugal that takes issue with this.

As I have said before, Portugal decriminalized all drugs around 15 years ago, they legalized gay marriage in 2010 and gay people walk around holding hands here all the time (no one freaks out at all), they have an active communist party and no one loses their shit over it, etc. etc. And I firmly believe that their basic openness and warmness is rooted in the fact that they value time and people over ambition and profit mongering. In general. But I don't hang out with any rich people, so I don't know where their minds are.

 

[Lily]

Indeed. Portugal is no longer homogenous at all. And in general, the people here see everyone else as just as worthy as they are. There are many black Africans and black Brazilians living here, lots of Indians, Middle Easterners, and people from European countries that speak different languages and have different traditions. There is a very tiny slice of Portugal that takes issue with this.

As I have said before, Portugal decriminalized all drugs around 15 years ago, they legalized gay marriage in 2010 and gay people walk around holding hands here all the time (no one freaks out at all), they have an active communist party and no one loses their shit over it, etc. etc. And I firmly believe that their basic openness and warmness is rooted in the fact that they value time and people over ambition and profit mongering. In general. But I don't hang out with any rich people, so I don't know where their minds are.

I wish the US was that civilized. We're just not. At least, not in most of the country, geographically that is...

 

[LotusBud]

Not to mention there are 30 gun deaths here a year. And there are a lot of hunters in Portugal. There is no, "I need a gun to protect myself" mentality because there's hardly any violence.

I lock the doors to my house at night and when we leave the house. One time when I was locking up, one of my neighbors said to me, "Why are you locking it? This is the safest place in the world." LOL I think it's true. My next door neighbor is 88. I check on her a lot. I always just walk in her front door because she's usually in the back of the house and can't hear me knock. She's never surprised to see me in her house. People walk in her door all the time. It's really kind of beautiful.

 

[Lily]

Not to mention there are 30 gun deaths here a year. And there are a lot of hunters in Portugal. There is no, "I need a gun to protect myself" mentality because there's hardly any violence.

I lock the doors to my house at night and when we leave the house. One time when I was locking up, one of my neighbors said to me, "Why are you locking it? This is the safest place in the world." LOL I think it's true. My next door neighbor is 88. I check on her a lot. I always just walk in her front door because she's usually in the back of the house and can't hear me knock. She's never surprised to see me in her house. People walk in her door all the time. It's really kind of beautiful.

That is awesome. I don't live in fear of being harmed. It doesn't mean that I am foolish about time and place. I don't see how living day to day in fear helps matters.

 

[LotusBud]

That is awesome. I don't live in fear of being harmed. It doesn't mean that I am foolish about time and place. I don't see how living day to day in fear helps matters.

Well, it can lead you to do shit like Kyle Rittenhouse, and honestly believe it's justified, imo.

 

[Lily]

Well, it can lead you to do shit like Kyle Rittenhouse, and honestly believe it's justified, imo.

Exactly. Killing people that aren't actually doing anything to you.

 

[The Prowler]

There are many black Africans and black Brazilians living here, lots of Indians, Middle Easterners

Check back in about 10 years and I will tell you "I told you so."