Important festivals shared by Portugal and Brazil:
Carnaval-Carnival
Pascoa-Easter (the first Sunday after the full moon on the spring equinox every year)
Natal–Christmas
Important festivals unique to Portugal:
Queima das Fitas Belt Festival
1. Carnival
Carnival is a festival of feasting and revelry. As a traditional Western festival, it is widely popular in Europe, America and all over the world. The festival lasts for 4 days and is held regularly in mid-to-late February every year. The original carnival was a religious festival exclusively for Christians and was closely related to Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. According to Christian customs, all believers need to conduct a 40-day fast (April Fast) before Easter. During this period, believers are prohibited from engaging in any entertainment and eating animal proteins such as meat, eggs, and milk. They must sincerely repent and reflect on their past and commemorate Jesus who suffered 3 days before Easter. The long 40 days are extremely tormenting and boring even for believers who adhere to the rules and precepts. Therefore, in the three days before the arrival of Lent, believers will hold various dances, parades, eat, drink, and indulge in carnivals to relax themselves in order to meet the harsh Lent, and the carnival is named after this. Today, the carnival has become a festival with a new meaning. It is not only a carnival for Christians, but has developed into a carnival for the participation of all people. Moreover, the carnival, dances, parades, etc. are also richer and more diverse. Masquerade balls, float parades, masked balls, music performances and banquets are the distinctive features of the carnival. Before the arrival of the carnival, the Portuguese and Brazilians need to purchase relevant decorations and handmade raw materials and accessories to prepare carnival costumes and floats, as well as masks, banquet-related supplies, cosmetics, etc. Therefore, the carnival peripheral products that meet their aesthetic requirements still have great development and development potential.
2. The Burning Belt Festival
The Burning Belt Festival is a unique festival in Portugal. It originated in 1899. It is the oldest and largest student festival in Europe. It is held from May 14 to 20 every year.
The Ribbon Burning Festival is usually held at the end of the university academic year and during the students’ final exams. College students wear black suits and uniforms, with ribbons on their chests and ribbons representing their department colors in their hands, and gather in some local old churches to listen to traditional songs, participate in dances, bullfighting competitions and other activities. At the climax of the festival, college students light the ribbons, and happily parade floats and dance to celebrate the end of the school year, the beginning of a new semester and a new life. Now, not only college students participate in the festival, but also teachers, parents, friends, etc. In May every year, many tourists from all over the world also come to Portugal to participate in the grand Ribbon Burning Festival.