Jun 10, 2023
Portugal National Day 2023
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Today’s Doodle celebrates Portugal Day, known officially as Dia de Camões, de Portugal e das Comunidades Portuguesas (Day of Camões, Portugal, and the Portuguese Communities). Portugal observes National Day not on the day it declared independence from Spain, but instead on a day that honors an influential Portuguese poet, Luís de Camões. In honor of the country, traditional Portuguese tiles are featured in today's Doodle artwork.
His epic poem, Os Lusíadas (The Lusiads), is considered a paramount work of literature and describes Portuguese voyages and explorations during the 15th and 16th centuries. Legend has it that on one of Camões’s own adventures, a ship sank and he swam one-handed to shore, holding the poem above the water with his other hand.
The first Portugal Day celebration took place in 1880 and it became a national holiday in 1919. Official festivities are held in a different Portuguese city each year with parades of marching bands, baton twirlers, and military troops. Orchestras play patriotic music, and fireworks illuminate the sky as night falls. And recently, another formal celebration is held in a foreign city to include Portuguese communities across the world in the commemoration of the nation's history, culture, and achievements
Happy National Day, Portugal!
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