There are several Easter traditions in Portugal, including religious processions and special foods. Some key traditions include: - Processions held during Holy Week to commemorate Jesus's journey to Jerusalem. - Fasting from meat on Fridays during Lent before Easter Sunday, which is then a feast day with meat like lamb. - Offering gifts like folar cakes, eggs, or almonds to godchildren and others on Easter. - Beginning Holy Week on Palm Sunday which recreates Jesus's entry into Jerusalem with olive branches.

1. Easter Traditions in Portugal

2. There are many Easter traditions in Portugal.
Compass
The cleaning of the house at Easter is famous from north to south of the country. At
this point, the houses are cleaned and the homes (in certain areas) to receive the
Paschal visit, the Compass, which symbolizes the entry of Jesus Christ into the home,
with the blessing of the priest who bless the house and all who inhabit it.

3. The table usually contains almonds and Easter sweets, liqueurs and Port Wine to
offer to the constituents of the Compass.
Fasting
In Lent, in the time before Easter, it is time for fasting it avoids eating meat on
Fridays, out of respect for Jesus Christ who was crucified on a Friday.
Portuguese Cod
But Easter Sunday is already a day of feast and resurrection, turning to eat meat like
goat or lamb, in the image of ancient times.

4. Easter Sweets can't be missed, either.
Ninho Braid
Processions
Among Christians, the week before Easter is the Holy Week, beginning on the Sunday
of Ramos, which marks the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. It is then tradition to make
processions in this day and height, with different types of processions across the
country.

5. In Braga, in Holy week, the image of Our Lady is transported by a donkey, in the
“Procession of the Burrinha” and in São Brás de Alportel (Algarve) is held a Procession
of Flowers (Procession of Florid Torches on Easter Sunday). The torches are composed
of field flowers and are carried above all by men who sing in undoing: "Risen as he
said, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah".
In many localities the Holy Week is also celebrated with candle processions at night,
or with theatrical representations of the condemnation and martyrdom of Christ. It
Also registers the devotion of the Lausperene.
In the Alentejo, in Castelo de Vide, in addition to the processions, the lambs are
blessed and people get rattled, going out on the street with rattles and bells.

6. Palm Sunday
What marks the beginning of the Holy Week is the Sunday of Ramos (The Sunday before
Easter), which symbolizes and recreates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, being
welcomed with olive branches. The tradition also says that the godchildren must offer
an olive branch to the godparents and violets to the bridesmaids.
Holy Week is celebrated in the days preceding Easter Sunday and aims to
commemorate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, also known as the
Paschal Mystery or Mystery of Redemption. The celebrations are part of the liturgical
calendar of the Christian year.
A popular Easter tradition in Portugal is to offer a gift to the godchildren.
The godparents and Bridesmaids usually offer a folar to the godchildren (or sponge
cake, almonds or money).
The tradition of offering extends also to relatives and people you like, resulting in
large exchanges of almonds and leaves.

7. The Folar Cake was initially called “Folore” and symbolizes friendship and
reconciliation. It can contain eggs, which is one of the symbols of Easter, since they
symbolize life and fertility (another symbol of Easter and fertility is the rabbit, but
this isn’t a Portuguese symbol). The tradition of painting the eggs has the purpose of
celebrating life and birth.
Usually, in addition to the Folar Cake and Easter eggs, we eat sponge cake and
almonds stuffed with sugar or chocolate (some miniature eggs).

8. Lent
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday after the Intrude (Carnival Tuesday).
This year, the Easter Sunday celebrates 21 of April.
It is also carried out the Lausperene by several Portuguese churches.
Lausperene in the Azores
Lausperene (from Latin laus perene, "louvor perene" - "perennial praise") is the
designation given in the Roman Catholic Church to the continued exposition of a
consecrated host (called the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist) to the worship of the
faithful.