This weekend, we say, Happy Easter, Portugal! In fact, the entire Christian Catholic world is celebrating the Resurrection this Sunday, March 27th 2016.

The most intense Christian celebration is feasted, at least in the Iberian area, with a blend of religious processions, masses and colorful traditions.

The Holy Week, the 7 days before the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is celebrated intensely throughout Portugal. There are several local customs, including godchildren visiting their godparents bringing olive branches, sweets or flowers, dying eggs and offering chocolate Easter bunnies. As Christianity came to replace pagan rituals with religious celebrations, some of the old customs were still preserved, such as flowers as a sign of the rebirth of nature.

Maundy Thursday is another day charged with Religious Significance. In the profoundly religious Braga city and the adjacent region, the Archbishop performs a ritual of feet washing (in Portuguese: lava-pes). As the name suggests, he washes the feet of 12 people, like the Lord washed the feet of His 12 apostles. This ritual is followed by the Lord’s Supper Mass (in Portuguese: Missa da Ceia do Senhor).

Easter marks the end of the long Lent, so this has to be celebrated with excellent traditional dishes. Housewives cook lamb, people drink wine and eat many sweets. The folar cake occupies a special place among the Portuguese recipes. It is a sweet cake made of bread with a boiled egg at its center. Chocolate and almonds are also present in most houses.

The Easter is all about family. The Portuguese gather around the table to enjoy the Blessings and spend quality time together. There are certain places in Portugal with a particular religious significance. One of them is Fatima. If you need to book Lisbon airport transfers to Fatima, you can do so online.

Meanwhile, have a very happy Easter!