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Portugal is an ancient nation and through more than 1000 years it has developed a specific culture while being influenced by the various civilizations that crossed the Mediterranean world. Thus, it has absorbed traditions from early civilizations and from regions discovered throughout the world during the 500 year long Portuguese empire. An explicit instance of this absorption and adaptation of previous culture is seen in the countless festivals to pagan local and Roman deities which were transformed into festivals to Christian saints; only some pagan festivals have changed little over 2,000 years, due the religious passion of the Middle Ages and the inquisition. Portuguese music has a wide variety of genres. The most renowned Portuguese music is Fado, a melancholic urban music. Fado is usually associated to the Portuguese guitar and to saudade, a feeling that occurs when one is in love with someone or something yet apart from him, her, or it. The style conveys a distinct mixture of sadness, pain, nostalgia, happiness and love. Though dilettanti claim that Fado origins are a mixture of African slave rhythms, traditional music of Portuguese sailors and Arabic influence, the early written records about fado connect it to Brazilian modinha in the 19th century. Some of its most internationally notable performers are Amália Rodrigues, Mariza, Ana Moura, Mísia, Dulce Pontes, Madredeus, and Cristina Branco. Currently, mainstream music in Portugal is in a rural and urban duality where the Portuguese pop-rock and Portuguese hip hop are popular with the younger and urban population, while pimba (an informal and rather unflattering word for a simple and cheery variety of pop music) and folklore are more popular in the rural areas and among the important emigrant community. Portuguese literature is one of the earliest Western literatures, and it developed as the 13th century arrived, through texts and songs. Until 1350, the Portuguese-Galician troubadours spread their literary influence to most of the Iberian Peninsula . King Dinis favored Occitan-inspired cantigas. Gil Vicente was the author to some transition theatrical pieces known as autos and is considered as one of the main founders of both Portuguese and Spanish dramatic traditions. Bernardim Ribeiro and Sá de Miranda rank among the most eminent Renaissance writers. Adventurer and poet Luís de Camões (c.1524 - 1580) wrote the epic poem The Lusiads, a work that he developed during his journeys in Africa and Asia and that has Virgil's Aeneid as main model. According to his own account, he was shipwrecked in Cambodia, and saved himself and his work by floating on a board. Modern Portuguese poetry, since the 19th century, is essentially rooted in a handful of relevant poets, ranging from neo-classicism to contemporary styles. One such famous poet is Fernando Pessoa (1888 – 1935), who wrote poetry in the voice, style and manner of many fictional poets under a large number of heteronyms. Modern literature also became internationally known, mostly through the works of Almeida Garrett, Alexandre Herculano, Camilo Castelo Branco, Manuel Maria Barbosa de Bocage, Eça de Queirós, Fernando Pessoa, Ferreira de Castro, Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, Herberto Helder, António Lobo Antunes and the 1998 Nobel Prize for literature winner, José Saramago. Portuguese traditional architecture is distinct precisely due to the variety of influences it features, with several examples throughout the world, some of which are classified as world heritage sites. Modern Portugal has one of the best architecture schools in the world, known as "Escola do Porto" or School of Porto, renowned by the names of Souto Moura and Alvaro Siza. Prominent figures in visual arts, known internationally are the painters Vieira da Silva and Paula Rego. Since the 90´s Portugal increased the number of cultural facilities where art and culture can be appreciated by a wider public. These include the Centro Cultural de Belém (CCB) in Lisbon, Fundação Serralves (Serralves Foundation) and Casa da Música (House of Music) both in Porto. Recently the announcement that Portuguese state will take care and exhibit permanently one of the greatest modern and contemporary art collections in Europe owned by José Berardo, a tycoon natural from Madeira, was received with enthusiasm by artists and cultural agents. |
Portugal Information: Inside
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