Dia de Portugal, de Camões e das Comunidades Portuguesas

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          June 10, titled Dia de Portugal, de Camões e das Comunidades Portuguesas, has a dual purpose of celebration. It celebrates both the entirety of the Portuguese heritage and its cultural impact, and also the anniversary of poet Luís Vaz de Camões’s death. The holiday is considered a national day of rest, and therefore, most Portuguese workers have the day off, in honor of both celebrations. The holiday’s dual significance has a special place in two distinctive periods of Portuguese history, emphasizing its national importance to all citizens.

            During the New State dictatorship that lasted from 1933 to 1974, the holiday was formally called “Dia da Raça: A Raça Portuguesa ou os Portugueses”, which translates to “The Day of Race: The Portuguese Race or the Portuguese People.” This day’s formal celebration is associated with a negative connotation today, because it signifies an attitude formerly focused on Portuguese supremacy, by disfavoring Portuguese emigration, and foreign immigration into the country. This celebration of the Dia was changed during the April 1974 Revolution, where the Portuguese military disbanded the dictatorship and established The Republic of Portugal. Since the Revolution, the day has been celebrated with its current connotation, here previously mentioned. Currently, the day is celebrated by the President and his accompanying state dignitaries, who participate in formal ceremonies led by the military, which are held in different cities yearly. The reasoning for these ceremonies being held in different cities annually is to equally celebrate all regions and talents of Portugal, as well as emphasizing the country’s unity, despite geographic separation. In order for a city to earn the distinction of hosting the ceremony, it is considered a great honor, and they are recognized for their incomparable contributions to the state and its national mission.

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        The significance of Vaz de Camões’s poetry to the holiday manifests itself in his Portuguese epic, titled Os Lusíadas. The epic narrates a fantasy-driven version of the Portuguese voyages of discovery, which were Portugal’s call to fame, during the New Age of discovery. The epic is comparable in impact to the Iliad, and specifies in great detail, the nature of sons of Portugal, the “Lusus”. The significance of defining the “Lusus”, is that the state of being Portuguese, whether being an emigrant or immigrant, now had a formal definition and title. The title is still used as a prefix to describe foreign nationals of Portuguese ancestry, and is utilized warmly during international celebrations of the holiday. The author’s death signifies that being Portuguese is still an honor and definable today by both his work and original terminology, and salutes him for his contributions to Portuguese society annually.

To learn more about the Dia and its international celebrations, please visit:

http://www.calendarr.com/portugal/dia-de-portugal/ (Portuguese)

http://viaexpress.ch/?p=616&lang=es (Spanish)

http://www.portugalday.com/ (English)

This article was written by Andrea L., LAMP Portuguese interpreter.