Halloween in Portugal...
Dia das Bruxas, that's what halloween it's called in Portuguese.
Although Portugal doesn't have a strong tradition celebrating the 31st of October in recent years we've seen a big increase in the number of families dressing up and knocking on doors shouting "doce ou travessuras?".
Halloween is a pagan celebration, which emerged more than two thousand years ago. It originated with the Celtic people, who celebrated in their calendar the end of summer, the beginning of the New Year and the good harvests of the year. The original celebration was called Samhain, which means "end of summer".
Years later, in the United Kingdom, the date began to mark All Saints' Day, hence the name Halloween, as it results from the junction of the terms hallow, which means "holy", and eve, which means "eve". In the USA and Mexico, the date is called All Saints' Day, which is when their Catholic Churches are closed.
In Portugal, the 31st of October wasn't celebrated in the same way as it was in the UK. The most widespread tradition in Portugal was feasting on cakes and foraging for sweets, such as "creme de cereja". In most parts of Portugal where I've been, it's a common sight to see people going from door to door inviting them to participate in a feast or trick-or-treat.
There’s a number of lists and things to do during this season and we recommend you to read the Time Out piece about it and if your costume isn’t sorted yet you should visit Mascarilha’s website and get it done.
Spooky celebrations and enjoy!! 🎃🎃🎃🎃
It will be busy…
November 1st is a bank holiday, Dia de Todos os Santos (hallowmas) and a perfect day to go out and enjoy a lazy breakfast. Book your table with us and enjoy the celebrations.
Specially after a big night we can assure that our “hangover cure” will sort you out. Don’t miss out.
