Antonio da Costa Amado-Noivo

Music

Popular Marches in Lisbon

Popular marches were held in Lisbon every June, often becoming a competitive event between neighbourhoods that faced strict official judging criteria for their joyful and upstanding qualities.

At the table

Rise of urban snack bars and canteens

In cities, particularly from the 1950s onwards, snack bars became a common habit for workers and professionals, offering quick meals at modest prices. While some urban families maintained traditional home cooking, others increasingly relied on these new establishments or work canteens to save time.

Daily life

Schooling conditions for rural children

Rural schools were often single rooms for four grades with around 40 students and no electricity or bathrooms. Children frequently walked kilometers barefoot to school, sometimes in cold and rain, and were expected to work in fields like adults.

What people wore

Styling hair with sugar water and forks

To create curly hair for religious processions, mothers wrapped strands around heated fork handles after wetting the hair with sugar water.

Getting around

Traveling from remote villages to the train

People in isolated regions like Vilarinho da Castanheira often traveled on foot or by donkey to reach train stations, a trip that could take three hours if everything went well.

What it cost

Cost of a pair of shoes

A pair of custom-made shoes from a shoemaker in Portimão cost 8 dollars and 50 cents, while factory-made shoes were about 10 dollars.