Art and culture

The Portuguese participate in many cultural activities and indulge their appreciation of art, music, theatre and dance. Portugal has a rich traditional folklore ( Ranchos Folclóricos ) with great regional diversity. Many towns and cities have a museum and a collection of ancient monuments and buildings. Many towns have at least one cinema, some places to listen to music and places to see arts and crafts. In the larger cities, theatre, concert or gallery visits to modern exhibitions are popular, and Portugal boasts not only international venues in Lisbon , Porto , Braga , Guimarães and Coimbra but also many renowned artists from various disciplines. The importance of the arts is illustrated by the fact that a three-day national mourning was declared on the occasion of the death of Amália Rodrigues , the "Queen of Fado" ( Fado is Portugal's national music) in October 1999. In 1998, José Saramago , one of Portugal's best-known writers, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Lisbon (1994), Porto (2001) and Guimarães (2012) were all named European Capitals of Culture, contributing to a current renaissance in artistic creation, and in 2004 Portugal hosted the European football finals in purpose-built stadiums.

In smaller towns and villages, cultural activities can revolve around local folklore, with musical groups performing traditional dances and songs. Local festivals are popular during the summer season in all sorts of places, from villages to towns, as well as beach holidays from July to September . Portuguese in almost all major cities like to know their places, which are generally well equipped with modern facilities and offer a wide variety of attractions, from shops and shops of the most famous brands to cinemas, restaurants and hypermarkets. The café culture is also considered an important cultural feature of the Portuguese. As the most popular sport, football events involving major Portuguese teams are always followed with great enthusiasm. There are some bullrings in Portugal, although the passion for bullfighting has traditionally been more popular in the Ribatejo and Alentejo regions.