The daily life of a Portuguese
The Portuguese believe in working and enjoying life at the same time. During the week, they generally start work around 9 or 10 am. Banks, for example, are open from 8.30am to 3pm, stores from 9am to 7pm and supermarkets like Pingo Doce, Jumbo or Continente until 9pm or even 10pm. Before work, most Portuguese prefer to have breakfast outside, sitting on a café terrace with a pastry in their mouth. Unlike their Spanish neighbor, the siesta is not a national tradition. But the Portuguese punctuate their working day with numerous coffee and snack breaks. Lunch generally takes place between 1 and 3 p.m., and the day ends between 7 and 8 p.m., after which it's time for an aperitif, dinner, cinema or theater outings, which are very popular. In Lisbon, several bar-restaurants, such as Galerie ZDB, have splendid rooftops offering a beautiful view of the capital.
As in France, the Portuguese give each other two kisses or shake hands. Arriving late for an appointment is no big deal, but if you're more than thirty minutes late, it's polite to let someone know.
The Portuguese love games of chance. Look around you and you'll see stores dedicated solely to scratch cards and the national lottery, where gamblers flock all day in search of the jackpot.
School attendance is compulsory until the age of 18, but many young people stop before then and work earlier. Equal access to education is enshrined in the Constitution, but there are major differences, notably between public schooling, which is free and disparate, and private schooling, which is fee-paying and therefore more easily accessible to children from wealthy families. However, education is much better today. Around 4% of the Portuguese population is illiterate. Under the Salazar dictatorship of the 1930s to 1970s, access to education was limited to the wealthiest and those closest to the regime, in order to ensure its survival. Following the economic crisis in Portugal, the majority of young graduates (from the universities of Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra) left to live abroad and find work to ensure a better standard of living. This phenomenon is diminishing thanks to the government's educational measures.
The family, the foundation of Portuguese society
No matter what life throws at them, the Portuguese will always be surrounded by their family, which has its good and bad sides. The family structure is still very traditional. Often, three generations live together under the same roof, mainly for economic reasons, but also because of the need to be together. The notion of family is very important, we must be present for each other and respect our elders. The fact that tradition persists with, for example, the transmission of religion can be perceived by some as a straitjacket from which it is difficult to break away.
Traditionally, marriage takes place in three stages. The suitor asks the father of the future bride for the blessing of marriage. His acceptance is then an honor. The preparation of the wedding involves the whole family, which can sometimes create conflicts of will: do the future spouses really have the wedding of their dreams or have they followed the directives of their relatives, especially their parents? The religious ceremony is a mandatory part of the wedding. During the meal, which takes place at the end of the afternoon, food is abundant. Usually, guests are treated to fish and meat and a cheese buffet. The cake is a creamy egg-based speciality, covered with marzipan. The Portuguese don't like to make too many speeches. Family and friends celebrate the new union until the end of the night. After the wedding, the couple leaves in a car decorated with noisy objects. The tradition is to drive to their new home donated by the groom's side of the family. When entering the house, if one of the spouses falls, it means that they will have many quarrels during their married life.
What about the transmission of the family name? Since the 20th century, children bear their first name(s) followed by the mother's surname and the father's surname. As the parents also have two names, it is the name of the male generation that is used. For example, if the mother's name is Cristina Silva Santos and the father's name is Pedro Ferreira Rodrigues, then their child, following this rule, will be called Matilda Santos (the mother's middle name and therefore the father's) Rodrigues (the father's middle name, which is his own father's). It also happens that the names passed on to the child are the choice of the parents, or that the son takes the full name of the father and the daughter the full name of the mother, which can create confusion within the family. Imagine those who are trying to establish their family tree...
Same-sex marriage, abortion and decriminalization of drugs
The Portuguese probably opened their eyes in astonishment when they saw that same-sex marriage aroused so much passion in France, so much so that the adoption of marriage for same-sex couples in January 2010 took place with relative indifference in Portugal. Neither the population nor the religious entities expressed any real disapproval. For the Church, it was a matter for the government. A bill initiated by Prime Minister Socrates, the right wing did not express its opinion either. The country was the sixth in Europe to authorize same-sex marriage (in addition to the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Norway and Sweden), offering same-sex couples the same adoption rights as heterosexual couples. The first marriage was celebrated on June 7, 2010. Medically assisted reproduction (MAP) is still not authorized: many couples therefore go to Spain where it is legal. Homosexuality is therefore well accepted in the country, a little less in rural areas (being homosexual was still a crime until 1982), as it is the case everywhere in the world.
Lisbon is a very open city for gays. The LGBTQ+ community is mainly found in the neighborhoods of Bairro Alto and Principe Real. You can see majestic drag shows. The beaches Prai Meco and Praia Costa de Caparica are known as gay beaches. Two respectful Gay Pride marches take place every year in the summer in Lisbon and Porto. Vila Nova de Gaia, Amadora and Braga are also gay-friendly cities.
The law that has had the most difficulty in Portugal, prior to gay marriage, is the law concerning abortion rights. Social debates were more pronounced and voluntary interruption of pregnancy (abortion) was legalized late in 2007.
Since 2000, the use of cannabis has been decriminalized in Portugal, meaning that possession and use are not subject to criminal sanctions below a certain threshold, 25 grams maximum for a Portuguese person. Trafficking remains illegal.
Good initiatives to help the homeless
Compared to France, there are few homeless people in Portugal, 3,500, of which a quarter are in Lisbon and 20% in the southern Alentejo and Algarve. This figure includes people living on the streets and those in shelters. 11,000 households are in a precarious situation and are at risk of eviction. Yellow metal lockers may catch your eye at Lisbon's Santa Apolónia train station: they are solidarity lockers installed for the homeless to store their belongings and thus be freer to move around the city. This social initiative was undertaken by the charity ACA. The first lockers were placed in the Arroios residential area in 2013. Volunteers get in touch with the homeless, offer them a solidarity locker and thus help them with this created link to get papers, health care until the precious housing.
