In any given month, Algarve is always celebrating some kind of festival. One of the celebrated months is May, most likely because it gives way to spring after the cold winter months. It doesn't matter if you're a native of Algarve or a foreigner visiting the country for a short cheap holidays 2013, the first of May should be a good day to start the festivities. Dia do Trabahaldor is celebrated on the first, in fact, which is Labour Day in Portugal. It is basically Labor Day in the Portuguese nation, folks.
Like most Labour Day celebrations around the globe, May 1 in Portugal is a day of celebrating the sacrifices and hardships that men and women in the work force of Portugal endure. These are people who have worked long and hard to be able to provide their families with their basic needs. This is a public holiday or day of festivities held in honour of working people. And the best place to hold these festivities at is in Algarve.
One more reason why a Portuguese family would celebrate May first the way they do is because May has the clearest of weather, after the frequently overcast climate of winter. Thus, it is normal to find Portuguese families coming out in droves for the celebration of Labour Day as the weather is simply great!
In April of 2006, I had gone to Portugal on a business trip. I wanted to leave on the 30th of April, but my colleague convinced me to stay until the 2nd. "You have to see how we celebrate May Day," he said. And because I was curious, I obliged her. Where I came from, people celebrate Labour Day with rallies and protests, so I was curious if Portuguese celebrated this day differently. On May 1st, I was geared to be herded into a pep rally into the city, but what I was met with was a total surprise. We had gone to an open field and had a picnic. His father opened up our first bottle of wine almost immediately after we had set up shop, and other families did the same around us.
When it is the first of May, the landscape in Algarve changes considerably. There are many places by the roadside that are normally devoid of people. However, during the first of May celebration, these places would suddenly be swarmed by a lot of people, particularly families enjoying the day in each other's company. Instead of noisy rallies and protests, the Portuguese apparently favour simpler and less luxurious displays of celebration for Labour Day. The only fanfare we had were the rather elaborate and rowdy parades from the local fire and police departments. I said to myself that this is something I would want to experience every year!
Like most Labour Day celebrations around the globe, May 1 in Portugal is a day of celebrating the sacrifices and hardships that men and women in the work force of Portugal endure. These are people who have worked long and hard to be able to provide their families with their basic needs. This is a public holiday or day of festivities held in honour of working people. And the best place to hold these festivities at is in Algarve.
One more reason why a Portuguese family would celebrate May first the way they do is because May has the clearest of weather, after the frequently overcast climate of winter. Thus, it is normal to find Portuguese families coming out in droves for the celebration of Labour Day as the weather is simply great!
In April of 2006, I had gone to Portugal on a business trip. I wanted to leave on the 30th of April, but my colleague convinced me to stay until the 2nd. "You have to see how we celebrate May Day," he said. And because I was curious, I obliged her. Where I came from, people celebrate Labour Day with rallies and protests, so I was curious if Portuguese celebrated this day differently. On May 1st, I was geared to be herded into a pep rally into the city, but what I was met with was a total surprise. We had gone to an open field and had a picnic. His father opened up our first bottle of wine almost immediately after we had set up shop, and other families did the same around us.
When it is the first of May, the landscape in Algarve changes considerably. There are many places by the roadside that are normally devoid of people. However, during the first of May celebration, these places would suddenly be swarmed by a lot of people, particularly families enjoying the day in each other's company. Instead of noisy rallies and protests, the Portuguese apparently favour simpler and less luxurious displays of celebration for Labour Day. The only fanfare we had were the rather elaborate and rowdy parades from the local fire and police departments. I said to myself that this is something I would want to experience every year!
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Of course, May 1 is not the only festival in the Algarve and is only one of the many reasons to visit the area for your holidays. If you are curious, click here for more details on how you can book luxury holidays to Algarve in May and what options you have in terms of airline tickets and hotel accommodation.
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