Castelo Paraiso

Often plain they are a feature of old buildings and rarely make an appearance on dull new constructions, although Lisbon has some striking recently tiled murals. Invented in the 16th century, blue on white was the first and still is the most common colour scheme for picture panels, though multicoloured works are to be found.

Much later when Art Nouveau and Art Deco took Europe by storm azulejos became more dynamic and bizarre.Évora too has various superb church examples - Igreja de Sao Joao Evangelista and Misercordia, while Lisbon has a huge offering on the walls of the monastery of Sao Vicente de Fora, including a set of full-sized fables.

Lisbon also has a museum dedicated to the art, Museu Nacional do Azulejo.

The Portuguese bull fights was usually practiced by the royal family and other aristocrats by horse. One can still see the links - the "cavaleiros", as they're called, are still dressed in the traditional aristocratic clothes. Before the actual bull fight they enter the arena with their following. They show the skills and training of their horses during the "cortesías".

Besides the mounted bullfighters there are also the "Banderillos", also known from Spain. They are not armed in Portugal, but serve to distract the bull and direct him to different parts of the arena in case of an unwanted incident.

Lisbon also has a museum dedicated to the art, Museu Nacional do Azulejo.

Once the cavaleiro set all his spears he leaves the arena - now it's time for the "forcados" to catch the bull. They're a group of 8 uniformed men that position themselves in a line, the front man being their leader, called "cabo". He wears a green hat and provokes the bull until he's attacked, which is when he'll hold on to the bull's horns. The bull will continue to run forward, trying to lose the unwanted visitor and will then be stopped by the other forcados. This is called the "pega" - the bull stops, held by 8 men. 7 of these will release the bull and the last one will hold on to its tail; the bull tries to shake him off by running in circles.

Also worth mentioning is the appearance of the bull. On the day before the corrida his horns will be cut a little - this is a rule in Portuguese bull fights to protect man and horse. Both of the horns will be covered with special leather headgear. Unlike in Spain, Portuguese bull fights do not rely on the bull's death in front of the audience - he leaves the arena with a group of cows or younger bulls and retuns to the stables.

Fado is the Portuguese pride and is therefore regarded as the national music treasure. It is also the most difficult form of musical expression in Portugal. Well-performed, this music is jolly and touching, but a lack of skill will make it sound overblown and high-handed.It is a very sentimental music and it is supposed to have evolved from the African slave music.

Fado expresses the general frustration and the Portuguese fatalism. There are two different versions of Fado - one from Alfama and Mouraria (which are districts of Lisbon) and the other from Coimbra. The Fado from Lisbon is more personal and emotional, whereas the Coimbran Fado is more academic and thus reflects the old traditions of the university town. Almost every Fado song tells tales about love, mostly unreturned love.

The "Fadista", the singer, traditionally dressed in black, stands in front of the audience; the musicians sit behind him. When the fadista starts singing, everyone keeps quiet and no more food is served. Fado-fanciers love them, and every fadista has a very good reputation. The most famous fadista was Amália Rodrigues, who died in 1999 and was well-known all over the world. Other famous names are Carlos do Carmo, Alfredo Marceneiro, Hermínia Silva, Rodrigo, Maria Alice and Tristão da Silva.

Although there is loads of fish in the waters around, the dried and salted codfish (bacalhau), which is often even imported, is the national food. One of the most effusive invitations to visit Portugal is addressed to you by its regional specialities, of which the various cheeses are amongst some of the most flavoursome.

In some countries you have turkey for christmas meal but in Portugal there is traditionally cooked codfish with olive oil, potatoes, chickpeas and cabbage. In most of the regions eating meat is rare, although the Alentejo is well-known for its pig-breeding and the trás-os-montes for their smoked and pickled meat- and sausage specialities. The wide variety of traditional cakes and sweets available in Portugal means that you will easily find something to enjoy.

Some of the food you should try when visiting the Algarve are: Bacalhau à Brás, Cataplana de mariscos, Frango Piri-piri, Grilled sardines and Pastéis de nata.

The mild climate, the proximity to the river and the richness in biota most probably contributed to the settling of the primitives at that location. Philistines, Merchants from Carthage and Greece occupied this territory until the arrival of the Romans in about 205 AD. This time was blessed with stability and development.

The Roman town that Julius Caesar named Felicitas Julia, was a primary attack target by Gothics, Slavonians and Visigoths before the arrival of the islamic troops around 711 AD.The Portuguese explorations started in the 15th century and brought a lot of new cultural and scientific aspects and an enrichment in economy and trading back to Europe. On the other hand, language and knowledge were "exported" to the most remote locations of the world (China, Southern America, Africa, ...).

Portugal`s very first steps as a nation (the Portuguese nationality was founded in 1143) are evoked by its countless Romanesque churches, mediaeval castles and walled towns. But the first examples of an exclusively Portuguese architecture were to come later. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Manueline style, an elaborate form of late Gothic architecture, was to appear in all its impressive grandeur. The art of the decorative glazed tile or azulejo mainly began to develop from the seventeenth century onwards, and these tiles are now a constant feature of our churches, palaces and urban buildings.

In the morning of November 1st, 1755 a massive earthquake destroyed the whole of the Lisbon region. It was the biggest earthquake that ever shook a European city. In total about 10,000 buildings were destroyed and between 12,000 and 15,000 people found death in Lisbon. In the year of 1910 Portugal became a republic. After that, the country was ruled by the military forces. This 40year-long salazar-dictatorship was quit by the peaceful pink-revolution in 1974. This was the call to democracy.

1. January: Ano Novo (New year)
February: Entrudo (Carnival Tuesday)
April: Seixta-Feira Santa (Good Friday), Páscoa (Easter)
25. April: Dia de Liberdade (Revolution/1974)
1. May: Dia do Trabalho (Labour Day)
May/June: Corpo de Deus (Corpus Christi)
13. June: Dia de Santo António (Day of St. Anthony)
18. June: Dia de Portugal (Portugal Day)
15. August: Assunção de Nossa Senhora (Assumption Day)
5. October: Implantação da República (Proclamation of the Republic in 1910)
1. November: Todos os Santos (All Saints)
1. December: Restauração da Independência (Portuese Independence Day/1640)
8. December: Imaculada Conceição da Nossa Senhora (Immaculate Conception)
25. December: Natal (Chistmas)

In addition to this, each district has its own communal festival day.