Carnival Celebrations in Portugal
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Carnivals in Portugal are huge events with towns and villages coming together to celebrate with friends and family. The spring carnival was the first of the year, was vibrant, and full of exciting events all weekend over the weekend of the 22nd February. This first of many fiestas is to celebrate Lent and is the ideal time to experience Portugal with the local people.
The carnival was an exciting time for everyone and was the perfect opportunity to get dressed up and have a party. The costumes seen were extravagant, indulgent and fascinating to see, making the event really enjoyable throughout the country. Locals and tourists mingled together enjoying the parades and parties which were organized.
The traditional carnival which is held every year has experienced problems this year with the organizers being told that the traditional Tuesday festivities would not be included. The Portuguese government has insisted that this day is not a holiday; therefore, there there was no jurisdiction to allow workers the time off for carnival.
The festivities often follow the same pattern for the whole of Portugal, and the different regions will celebrate in the same way. Street parades, dancers, entertainment and food stalls, are all big parts of the carnival program. Smaller municipals planned many different events; however, the large cities had spectacular, parades and Loules are often considered the best in the country.
This city in Portugal is renowned for having the oldest and most well known of all the parades, and this year it is celebrating the 106th anniversary. Every year there is a theme set for costumes and floats, and every resident makes the effort to dress up and party. The larger parades do attract huge numbers, and if you are visiting the city, you need to be prepared for the crowds.
Following the parades there were Gala Balls organized by the different towns and cities and many people had the chance to dress up. There was entertainment, food and drink provided at the balls, and the party fun carried on through the night into the early hours. The Portuguese people are often excited about banishing the winter months, and enjoy celebrating the spring.
The children were never forgotten throughout the festivities, and there were many different events designed for the younger generations. Children’s parades and carnival competitions were held to ensure that their incredible costumes could be displayed. The traditional float parades seen were also magnificent, and most were amazed at how much effort was put into the design and decoration.
With so much going on and plenty of exciting events being in Portugal at this time of the year is fantastic. Spending time in some of these towns and cities throughout the Algarve during this period certainly left the staff here at PortugalProperty.com feeling energetic and enriched. We love seeing the local people enjoying themselves and every generation coming out to celebrate.
For information on property for sale in Portugal contact the Portugal Property team via email at: info@portugalproperty.com or call free on: +44(0)800 0148201
Published in: Portuguese Life