Afonso Miguel Maria Gil de Braganca van Uden

Music

Popular Instruments in Portuguese Social Gatherings

The concertina, a type of diatonic accordion, was central to local fiestas and saw a revival in the early 1990s for accompanying informal singing and dancing. Portable string instruments such as the cavaquinho, a small four-string guitar approximately 50 centimeters long, were widely used in these social gatherings.

Daily life

Rural homes lacked basic utilities and infrastructure

In the 1970s, many rural homes lacked basic utilities like running water, electricity, and private bathrooms, forcing families to rely on public fountains and outdoor sanitation. Households commonly cooked over open hearths without chimneys, often using firewood or coal briquettes in clay-filled stoves.

What it cost

Controlled food prices in 1985

In 1985, the government set the maximum price for a unit of wheat bread at 4.50 escudos and one liter of milk at 62 escudos.

What people wore

Pilgrims carried shoes to protect them

When traveling long distances for pilgrimages, people often walked barefoot or in wooden clogs, carrying their good shoes in their hands to protect them from the journey and only putting them on when reaching the sanctuary.

Getting around

Avoiding luggage fees on bus travel

In the late 20th century, passengers traveling by bus from the Guarda train station often saved money by asking others to claim their heavy bags as their own to avoid extra luggage fees.

At the table

Traditional breakfast of barley coffee and bread

Instead of modern yogurt or smoothies, breakfast commonly consisted of barley coffee with bread and butter or jam.