Maria Francisca, Duchess of Coimbra

Music

Music at Portuguese Pilgrimages and Festivals

Pilgrimages like the Romaria de Nossa Senhora d’Agonia featured amateur wind bands, drum ensembles, and improvised poetic competitions where performers challenged each other with rhymed verses. Groups of zés-pereiras, consisting of snare and bass drums, were vital for announcing festivities by performing through village streets.

Daily life

Difficult schooling conditions for rural children

Children often walked several kilometers to attend basic, crowded schools that lacked electricity and indoor toilets, with many students dropping out after the mandatory four-year primary education. To reach school, children often faced cold and rain on foot, sometimes wearing worn-out or repaired clothing.

Work

Rigid schedules for industrial workers

Factory workers and administrative staff faced rigid schedules, with over half of industrial workers arriving at their jobs by 8:00 AM. In contrast, agricultural workers were the earliest to start, with 15% already working by 7:00 AM.

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.