Great write-up! We are visiting here for two months and were very excited to be able to experience the celebration! We found out about it after visiting the exhibit at Aljude Museum. We asked our server at a restaurant afterwards and she wrote a list of about ten related events to see. She also spoke about the love and strength that one feels at the parade. We knew we had to go. The concert and display at Terreiro do Praço was phenomenal. They had vignettes of people (actors) relaying stories of being able to vote, the quality of life improvements, freedoms, education. And when certain songs were played … certainly during Grandola, Vila Morena, but other songs, too … the wonderful senior citizens, who knew life before and after 25.04.74 danced and waved carnations and sang along. Some of the exhibits we’ve seen (some may still be going on) include
10 Days the Shook Portugal exhibit at the Mercado do Forno do Tijolo
Manifestações de Liberdáde (photos from the Revolution) at Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa
Factum Eduardo Gageiro (he took phenomenal photos on 25 de Abril and also of the Alfama and Graça residents at Cordoaria Nacional
And all the carnations at the vertical garden at the Galeria Quadrum are blooming
The Parade! Yes! We were confused too. We finally started walking along the side street and figured out that it was almost a parade in reverse. Where the parade participants are standing and the audience walks by them instead of visa versa. A volunteer at the 10 days that shook exhibit had told us that she walks with several different groups at the parade. At the time I wondered how she could do that … the parade route isn’t THAT long. But then at the event, it made sense how she could switch between groups … none were walking very fast at all.
Oh I have written so much but one more story: We had gone to the São Jorge castle on the prior Sunday to make red paper carnations … they were having a little workshop to fill a plaque with them. I decided to make some to hand out to people at some of the restaurants we’d been frequenting. So I did, and I carried them around in a bag. I was a little embarrassed at first since they were paper and not “real ones”. But, on the way to the concert, we heard Grandola, Vila Morena being played and walked over to where the music was coming from. It was a restaurant we weren’t familiar with. It wasn’t open yet but the owner was setting things up. I walked up to him (totally out of my comfort zone) and offered him a red paper carnation. I said Can I give this to you? He gave me the biggest most sincere smile and said Yes! Do you know what it means? I said Yes! It’s for the 25 de Abril Revolution and this is the 50th Anniversary. That made him smile even wider!
After that I had no reservations about my paper flowers. I gave a bunch to various children … I always asked the parent first, to be mindful, and they always said YES and nodded encouragingly. They were all so nice to this strange American woman giving out paper carnations.
Great article. In April, 1974 I was a 20 year old surfer camped out in a VW bus on the bluffs of what is now Ribeira das Ilhas in Ericeira. I remember the evening of the 25th my buddy and I went into town and were amazed at the mass of people in the square celebrating. A guy in a local bar who spoke some English told us what had happened. At the time I knew nothing about Portuguese politics except we knew there were wars going on in Angola and Mozambique. An interesting story is that at the time they would pay you to give blood as it was needed for the war wounded. The equivalent of $20 which you could basically live off for a week. We gave blood every other week for about 2.5 months before we left PT.
The death of Franco the following year is an interesting coincidence that transformed the peninsula and really all Europe. Thanks for the posts and all the research.
Thought of you guys on April 25 since I knew it was a holiday in Portugal, variously named Liberation, Freedom, or Portugal Day on some calendar sites I consulted. Excellent recap of the Carnation Revolution. Thanks for the history lesson! 🇵🇹
Great write-up! We are visiting here for two months and were very excited to be able to experience the celebration! We found out about it after visiting the exhibit at Aljude Museum. We asked our server at a restaurant afterwards and she wrote a list of about ten related events to see. She also spoke about the love and strength that one feels at the parade. We knew we had to go. The concert and display at Terreiro do Praço was phenomenal. They had vignettes of people (actors) relaying stories of being able to vote, the quality of life improvements, freedoms, education. And when certain songs were played … certainly during Grandola, Vila Morena, but other songs, too … the wonderful senior citizens, who knew life before and after 25.04.74 danced and waved carnations and sang along. Some of the exhibits we’ve seen (some may still be going on) include
10 Days the Shook Portugal exhibit at the Mercado do Forno do Tijolo
Manifestações de Liberdáde (photos from the Revolution) at Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa
Factum Eduardo Gageiro (he took phenomenal photos on 25 de Abril and also of the Alfama and Graça residents at Cordoaria Nacional
And all the carnations at the vertical garden at the Galeria Quadrum are blooming
The Parade! Yes! We were confused too. We finally started walking along the side street and figured out that it was almost a parade in reverse. Where the parade participants are standing and the audience walks by them instead of visa versa. A volunteer at the 10 days that shook exhibit had told us that she walks with several different groups at the parade. At the time I wondered how she could do that … the parade route isn’t THAT long. But then at the event, it made sense how she could switch between groups … none were walking very fast at all.
Oh I have written so much but one more story: We had gone to the São Jorge castle on the prior Sunday to make red paper carnations … they were having a little workshop to fill a plaque with them. I decided to make some to hand out to people at some of the restaurants we’d been frequenting. So I did, and I carried them around in a bag. I was a little embarrassed at first since they were paper and not “real ones”. But, on the way to the concert, we heard Grandola, Vila Morena being played and walked over to where the music was coming from. It was a restaurant we weren’t familiar with. It wasn’t open yet but the owner was setting things up. I walked up to him (totally out of my comfort zone) and offered him a red paper carnation. I said Can I give this to you? He gave me the biggest most sincere smile and said Yes! Do you know what it means? I said Yes! It’s for the 25 de Abril Revolution and this is the 50th Anniversary. That made him smile even wider!
After that I had no reservations about my paper flowers. I gave a bunch to various children … I always asked the parent first, to be mindful, and they always said YES and nodded encouragingly. They were all so nice to this strange American woman giving out paper carnations.
Thank you for sharing - sounds like you had a great time and learned a lot! Thanks for the tips on other places to learn more.
That’s supposed to be Aljube Museum. Autocorrect?!?!
I have been enjoying your very detailed posts! Thank you for all the research you do and the insights you share. Much appreciated, for sure!
I'm so glad! I really enjoy research.
Great article. In April, 1974 I was a 20 year old surfer camped out in a VW bus on the bluffs of what is now Ribeira das Ilhas in Ericeira. I remember the evening of the 25th my buddy and I went into town and were amazed at the mass of people in the square celebrating. A guy in a local bar who spoke some English told us what had happened. At the time I knew nothing about Portuguese politics except we knew there were wars going on in Angola and Mozambique. An interesting story is that at the time they would pay you to give blood as it was needed for the war wounded. The equivalent of $20 which you could basically live off for a week. We gave blood every other week for about 2.5 months before we left PT.
What an awesome story. Thank you for sharing it!
The death of Franco the following year is an interesting coincidence that transformed the peninsula and really all Europe. Thanks for the posts and all the research.
It's so much fun!
Thought of you guys on April 25 since I knew it was a holiday in Portugal, variously named Liberation, Freedom, or Portugal Day on some calendar sites I consulted. Excellent recap of the Carnation Revolution. Thanks for the history lesson! 🇵🇹
It was so much fun to look into!
Excellent article. It makes me really admire Portugal. They reversed many years of bad history.
It astounds me. Inspirational.
I learned a lot from this. Thanks Amy!
I love doing postss like this!
Thanks, you guys, for filling in the detail that we glossed over. :-) Great post! Thank you.
Such an interesting post! It's wonderful how quickly democracy has grown in Portugal. We are watching democracy shrivel in the US.
Red carnations will always have a special meaning.