Portuguese Marches
Festive Parades as a part of the annual celebrations of the Santos Populares (Popular Saints).
Traditional Portuguese celebration on the streets.
The Marchas Populares are a traditional Portuguese celebration, deeply connected to Lisbon's ( and other several portuguese regions) cultural identity. These festive parades are part of the annual celebrations of the Santos Populares (Popular Saints), particularly honoring Saint Anthony, Lisbon's patron saint, whose day is celebrated on June 13th.
During the month of June, there are these Popular Saints' Festivals, traditional and lively events. These festivities are rooted in the summer solstice, when the old European communities celebrated the arrival of the season with bonfires.
The themes of the parade’s contests often celebrate Portuguese’ s traditions, history, or maritime culture.
The Traditional Marches create a lively, competitive, and joyful atmosphere. Beyond the parades, the celebrations include street parties, grilled sardines, music, and dancing in Lisbon's historical neighborhoods.
It is a time for community pride, showcasing Lisbon's rich culture, and enjoying a vibrant sense of togetherness.
The event features colorful processions where different neighborhoods (called "bairros") compete with each other. Each neighborhood prepares a unique performance with music, choreography, and elaborate costumes. The themes often celebrate Lisbon's traditions, history, or maritime culture. Besides Lisbon, these traditional portuguese Marchas are also celebrated all over Portugal. This Event shows the Traditional Marches of Assenta, a place in the region of Ericeira, in Portugal.
What the local experts say
Interview's main points
Interviewer - what this feast of Saint John the Baptist is about? As locals, you’re from around here and you’re on the party commission. What is a party commission for creating a traditional party?
Amélia Sampaio - A party committee is a group of people who gather and organize an annual
party in honor of the patron saint of the land. So Saint John the Baptist is the patron of the land, beacause he is the patron saint of our village, of Assenta village.
Interviewer - Why are the marches linked to the feasts of Saint John the Baptist?
Fátima Lourenço. - The marches have many years, the 1st march was in 1978 and ti was already a
tradition by then that has been following until now, it had an interregnum of a few years, but
in 2018 we again organized the marches, with mainly the people of the village. There are also
people from outside, but it is mainly with the people of the village. Saint John the Baptist has a lot to do with the Popular Saints that are also very important in this region.
Amélia Sampaio. - Yes, here we celebrate Saint John, who is the saint here. It is a centenary party, has a lot of tradition, and because it is a time of popular festivals, since 1978 the marches began to be made. But the party itself existed long before.
Interviewer - Are marches important for the people of this land? How do people feel when the days of the marches come?
Fátima Lourenço - They are important, yes! People come to see the marches, it is a way to join with their relatives, every year, the marches have being improved, there is the rehearsal of the marches,
which makes people also gather, they are fraternizing, it’s really a hard work! However, it turns
out to be rewarding.
