Easter in Portugal

Easter in Portugal is an important time for families with its own particular traditions.  One is the baking of loaves of Folar bread you will see in the shops at this time. These were originally connected to  godparents and their godchildren.  It was a custom for a goddaughter or godson to visit their godparents at Easter and ask for the Folar as a treat.  Godchildren give a present of violets or almonds to their godmothers on Palm Sunday.

The Folar da Páscoa is a kind of bread or cake, salty or sweet, depending where you are in Portugal. If it is from the North it is salty. In the Algarve, it is sweet, including sugar, cinnamon and caramel. The Folar da Páscoa is a symbol of brotherhood, friendship and reconciliation, and when covered with eggs, as in the South, it is also a symbol of fertility, rebirth and resurrection.

To read more about the Folar festival go to Becky's page

On Good Friday families will meet up for a meal of cod and vegetables according to Catholic tradition and the custom of the country to enjoy salted cod whenever possible.

On Easter Sunday they can return to meat traditionally Roast Lamb.

And the shops will tempt you with tasty food of all kinds for the Easter festival.