"Ear-cob" Thursday

I am sorry for the delay, but have been busy with plenty of elsewhere work. 10 days ago, May 26th, 2022, it was celebrated this year the Thursday of Ascent, the fourtieth day after the Easter Sunday. But in Portugal is also known in a folksy way as something else: a Quinta-Feira da Espiga ("the Ear-cob Thursday"). Besides being a religious date, it is a date full of Portuguese folk traditions, that even used to be a national holiday. Traditions float around the picking up of wheat ear-cobs and flowers to put together as a bouquet, to keep behind one's door. Some traditional spots of the capital Lisbon might even be filled with the colours of the bouquets of ear-cobs and flowers. According to the Enciclopédia Católica Popular ("Folk Catholic Encyclopedia"), since this date stopped being a Portuguese national holiday in 1952, it started being celebrated in actual Catholic Church lithurgy in the 7th Easter Sunday. «Porém, o po­vo das áreas rurais ainda guarda a tra­di­ção de ir ao campo na que chama Quin­ta-Feira da Espiga» («Nevertheless, the people from the rural areas still keeps the tradition of going to the country-fields in what it calls Ear-cob Thursday.»).

É Dia da Espiga. Ainda se lembra como se faz um ramo?

It is municipal holiday in almost 3 dozens of Portuguese municipalities, from near-Tagus Vila Franca de Xira town to central Beiras marches regions Mortagua, to Alentejo borderlands Estremoz, Beiras marches Santa Comba Dao, Alentejo's Arraiolos or Ribatejo's Salvaterra de Magos. All signaling the day with bouquets of flowers, ear-cobs (always in an uneven number) of wheat or even corn ear-cobs, and even a small olive branch, poppies, daisies and vine sticks. Putting the bouquets behind  doors is supposed to bring the house bread, olive-oil, money and joy during the rest of the year.

É Dia da Espiga. Ainda se lembra como se faz um ramo?


Text inspired by and pictures taken from on an article on the holiday from the Diário de Notícias ("News Diary") newspaper.



Quinta-feira "da Espiga"


Peço desculpa pelo atrso, mas tenho estado ocupado com muito trabalho noutras partes. Há 10 dias atrás, 26 de Maio de 2022, foi celebrado este anoa Quinta-feira de Ascensão, o quarto dia depois do Domingo de Páscoa. Mas em Portugal também conhecida como outra coisa: a Quinta-Feira da Espiga. Para além de ser uma data religiosa, é uma data cheia de tradições populares portuguesas, que até costumaver ser um feriado nacional. Tradições flutuam por aí à volta do apanhar de espigas e flores para juntar como um ramo, para manter por detrás da nossa porta. Slguns ponos tradicionais da capital Lisboa podem até ser enchidos com as cores dos ramos de espigas e flores. De acordo com Enciclopédia Católica Popular, visto que esta data parou de ser um feriado nacional português em 1952, começou a ser celebrado na efectiva liturgia da Igreja Católica no sétimo Domingo da Páscoa. «Porém, o po­vo das áreas rurais ainda guarda a tra­di­ção de ir ao campo na que chama Quin­ta-Feira da Espiga».

É Dia da Espiga. Ainda se lembra como se faz um ramo?

É feriado municipal em quase 3 dúzias de concelhos portugueses, da vila tagana de Vila Franca de Xira a Mortágua das regiões das Beiras, a Estremoz das raias do Alentejo, Santa Comba Dão das Beiras, Arraiolos do Alentejo ou Salvaterra de Magos do Ribatejo. Todas assinalando o dia com ramos de flores, espigas (sempre em números impares) de trigo ou até espigas de milho, e até espigas de milho, e até um ramo pequeno de oliveira, papoilas, margaridas e varas de videira. Pondo os ramos por detrás de portas é suposto trazer à casa pão, azeite, dinheiro e alegria durante o resto do ano.

É Dia da Espiga. Ainda se lembra como se faz um ramo?


Texto inspirado por e imagens tiradas de um artigo sobre o feriado do jornal Diário de Notícias.

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