The Culture of Portugal

The name "Portugal" comes from a Roman or pre-Roman colony called Portus Cale close to the mouth of the Douro River. The Romans referred to this area as the province of Lusitania, and the affix Luso (signifying "Portuguese"). The culture of Portugal took its root from the Latin civilization of Ancient Rome, with a variety of pre-Roman Celts and Iberians (Celtiberian) setting.

The Portuguese take part in numerous cultural activities, pandering their taste of art, drama, dance and music. They have an ample traditional folklore, with large regional diversity. Folk dances include Two Steps Waltz, Schottische (Chotiça), Vira (of the Minho region), Corridinho (of the Algarve and Estremadura regions), Circle dance, Fandango (of the Ribatejo region), Bailarico, Malhão, Maneio, Vareirinha, Vira de Cruz, Vira Solto, Tau-Tau, Ciranda, Ó Ti Tirititi and O Pedreiro. Some famous film makers are Teresa Villa Verde (Três Irmãos, 1994 and won the best actress award at the Venice Film Festival); João César Monteiro (A Comédia de Deus, 1995 and won the Jury’s Special Prize at the Venice Film Festival) and Manoel de Oliveira (the San Francisco Film Festival and the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1994).

During the month of June, the Santos Populares is celebrated all over Portugal dedicated to the 3 saints namely Saint Peter, Saint Anthony and Saint John. Carnivals are also widely famous all over the country with some long-established carnivals go back several centuries. Modern Portuguese architecture adopts the advanced trends encountered in European thought architecture with no restraints, while maintaining some of its singular features. The two distinctive factors of Portuguese-style architecture are Portuguese pavement and azulejo.