De Sol e De Sal

A diary of Portuguese inspired style and traditional visuals

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“Besides being a strong, independently-minded woman back in the middle of the seventeenth century, Josefa de Óbidos (1630-84) over almost four decades created some of the most attractive and instantly recognisable paintings in the history of Portuguese art.

Fascinating for her artistic individuality, she was active during the years that followed the restoration of Portugal’s independence from sixty years of Spanish rule.”

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"Cova da Moura is an illegal construction quarter, created in the late 70s in Lisbon’s Metropolitan Area. Half of the inhabitants are less than 20 years old. The great majority is of African origin: 75% are Cape Verdean, but there are also Guinean, Angolan and Portuguese."

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Ana Moura - Andorinhas

With “Andorinhas,” the first single from her upcoming album (to be released this year), the singer employs an image of swallows as a symbol of artistic renewal, “of freedom and emancipation, of pure creativity, of refusing the chains of success, a declaration of a will for the future.”

Accompanied by a graceful video shot on the roofs of a popular Olhão neighborhood in the Algarve, the song combines Portuguese guitar, an instrument emblematic of fado, with African percussion and electronic layering. Dressed in a traditional Algarvian outfit, called “bioco,” which is reminiscent of the burqa, Ana Moura combines ancestral imagery with a remarkable burst of modernity. Of Angolan origin on her mother’s side, the singer nods to her heritage by uniting with the popular Angolan singer Paulo Flores who features in a cameo at the dinner table, where conviviality and diversity reign between generations.

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"Few regions in Europe boast the variety and richness of popular embroideries found in the Douro and Minho regions. And none are as original, innocent and well-loved as the ones produced in the city of Viana do Castelo. Originally used to embellish outfits for special occasions, it was only at the beginning of the 20th century that they moved on to tablecloths, pillowcases, sewing caddies and pincushions. Inspired by the local flora and fauna, these embroideries also celebrate love, depicted with big, beautiful hearts.

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The people of Nazaré have ethnic characteristics and customs of their own. Traditionally some women dress in black; they either are widows who lost their men to the brutal waves of the Atlantic - Nazare is home to some of the biggest waves in the world -or they waiting for their husbands to return from fishing.

The waves in Nazare have long been compared to invincible enemies, killing fishermen, vacationers and frequently inundating streets and shops. There is even a spot called “the reef of widows,” where by legend the wives of fishermen would watch their husbands drowning after waves had destroyed their boats.

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Portugal's carnaval and the Caretos - "With colorful costumes and ancient masks, spectators and participants alike gather in the streets of Salsas, Portugal to celebrate the annual winter masquerade. Many of these masquerades are of ancient origin and can often be traced to pre-Christian Celtic and often pre-Roman traditions around the renewal of fertility and life and the end of winter."

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The Algibeira Minhota is an outside pocket with its own belt to wrap around one's waist. Made out of colourful cotton fabric, embroidered by hand, flowery motifs and embellished with beads. While this is decorative it has a practical purpose in carrying keys, wallets, handkerchiefs, etc.

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Viana's hearts (In Portuguese: Coração De Viana) are traditional Portuguese jewellery, a lucky charm for brides who pass it on from mother to daughter. They are manufactured using the filigree technique.

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The camisolas poveiras (pullovers from Póvoa de Varzim) are made of white wool yarn and then embroidered using black and red wool yarn. They reproduce fishing motifs and a kind of local code, a proto-writing system also compared to Nordic runes, sigla,  inherited from the vikings and used for many generations. Usually it was made with a razor on wood to mark family belongings, but it was painted on boats, too.

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Chaminés algarvias

“Most of the chimneys in the Algarve resemble minarets, turrets or mini mosques but in actual fact they are nothing to do with the occupation by the Moors from 711 to 1249 when the Algarve was known as Al Gharb.”

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“Sebastião Rodrigues (1929-1997) was born and raised in Dafundo, Portugal. From a very early age he learned the design trade from his father, whilst running errands for a graphical advertising service newspaper, The Voice.

With a scholarship from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (1959-60), he travelled for half a year in the North Country to collect inspirational graphic material. It was during this and other trips where he collected material that would constitute the raw material for his future work. He searched for a deeper understanding of the roots of the Portuguese popular culture, which became a key quality of his work.”

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Lenços de namorados are handkerchiefs made of linen or cotton and embroidered with several related love patterns. This piece of handcraft is part of the typical clothing from Minho province (in Northern Portugal) and used by women of marrying age.

Lenços dos Namorados were used as a ritual of romantic conquest. The girl’s sweetheart should use the handkerchief in public so that everyone would know he had started a love relationship with her.

(image)

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Praia da Nazaré

"Another tradition (...) quite unique is that of the seven skirts of Nazaré. Fisher women here still wear seven colourful layers of skirts, as well as wooden clogs and a predominantly black headscarf. It is said that they represent the seven days of the week, the seven colours in the rainbow, the seven waves in a set and many other biblical, mythical and magical attributions which involve the number seven. Their arrival on the fashion scene in Nazaré is attributed to the fishwives of old who would await the safe return of their men on the beach in cold, wet, and windy conditions, developing the multiple layers to keep warm."

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Romaria d'Agonia 2019 - Festival of our Lady of Sorrow

“Viana do Castelo´s worship of Our Lady in Sorrow dates from 1744, when fishermen first began to call upon her to make sure that the sea would not be rough. 20 August has become established as the day for the festival in her honour. In 1772, a royal order was issued authorising the holding of a free fair in the city. on 18, 19 and 20 August. Since then, the Romaria de Nossa Senhora da Agonia has become one of the most beautiful, colourful and grandiose popular festivals in Portugal.”