June 10th, Day of Portugal, Camões, and the Portuguese Communities.
June 10th was not always known as it is today. This day has already been celebrated as the “Day of the Race: the Portuguese race or the Portuguese, this happened during the year 1933 and 1974, between the regime of the Estado Novo Dictatorship until the Carnation Revolution on 25 April.
As Luís de Camões was an emblematic figure for Portugal and associated with the Discoveries, it made perfect sense to be used as a way for the regime to celebrate the colonial territories and the feeling of belonging to a great nation, as a single race and common language.
The 10th of June is defined as a holiday, after the establishment of the Republic and following the legislative work on the 5th of October 1910.
In the course of these works, a decree was published defining national holidays, and religious holidays were even eliminated, with the intention of reducing the influence of the Catholic Church and consolidating the secularization of society.
The decree defined national holidays and gave the possibility for municipalities and municipalities to select a day of the year to represent their festivals. Lisbon opted for June 10 as a municipal holiday, in honor of Camões, as this was the date pointed out as the poet’s death.
So enjoy the day! The sun is out and the weather is great. Don’t forget to always wear a mask and be safe!
