The most important religious celebration in spring is approaching, so the Christian world has reasons to celebrate. There are certain places where you will certainly be absolutely lucky and happy to get the chance to spend the feast of Resurrection. Spending Easter in Portugal is a very personal and wonderfully spiritual experience, so we can quite safely say that this beautiful country with its welcoming people is one of the best Easter destinations of all.
Portuguese people are Catholics, so religious celebrations intertwine with the laic life of the realm and are closely related to the existence of the palace.
So how exactly is Easter celebrated in Portugal?
Some of the Portuguese are deeply religious, so a lot of people will want to go to church. You can attend the mass and there are specific daily ceremonies during the Holy Week. the Good Friday and the Easter Sunday are the main highlights, as the traditions are rites are most prominently observed as these times. Basically, the week seeks to commemorate and reenact the last week of Jesus Christ before His crucifixion, everything culminating with the joy of Resurrection.
Certain traditions are best observed in specific regions or cities. This way, in Obidos, there is a vivid reenactment of Christ on the Sacred Road and the Jewish traditions from Castelo de Vide bring even more color and excitement to the celebrations, even as the tone remains somber and reflexive. You can actually get there from Lisbon quite easily with a Lisbon transfer to Obidos.
There are other cities that also follow interesting rites and traditions. In Constanca and Loule, there is a colorful boat procession to be observed: the Festival of Our Lady of the Good Voyage and the Feast of the Sovereign Mother respectively. Mary is a very important character in the spiritual life of the Catholics, so there are a lot of Portuguese celebrations dedicated to her as well.
