New Year, New Life?!

Published on 16th December, 2024

Will 2025 be the year you invest in a home in Portugal and enjoy a new sun-filled life – whether through relocation or a second home? Find out how the Portuguese welcome in the New Year so that you can celebrate like a local!

Portugal has many traditions and at this time of the year, one of the most iconic is to eat twelve raisins with a glass of sparkling wine or ‘espumante’ as the clock strikes midnight. Some say it’s a raisin for each stroke of the clock, while others claim it’s for each month of the year. Whatever your belief, make sure you consciously make a wish as you devour each of the twelve raisins!

The ritual of banging pots and pans together to ward off evil spirits and negative energy is one of the oldest superstitions in the world, believed to have originated before the Roman Empire. The objective is to scare away ghosts and evil spirits that may have haunted the previous year.

Fireworks or ‘fogo de artificio’ are another tradition found throughout the country to keep evil away and for purification. One of the largest and most spectacular displays can be found in Madeira.

Weather-wise, it’s usually very pleasant with warm, winter sun during the day but cooler at night. This year in the Algarve, for example, we expect around 18°C during the day, which is perfect for a stroll along the beach with a cosy hoody.

On New Year’s Day, you could always take a dip in the ocean. Not for the faint-hearted but, if you’re feeling brave, you can go to the beach and run into the ocean alongside others who also want a fresh, if not chilly start to 2025!

So out with the old and in with the new… Old traditions and new adventures in your dream home in Portugal? Contact us now to find out just how easy it can be on hello@PortugalProperty.com or call us on +351 308 800 878 or 0800 014 8201 free from the UK.

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Published in: Guide to Portugal / Miscellaneous / Portuguese Life