Santo António

If you still have doubts about Lisbon being the place to party, here comes the Portuguese popular parties that will clear things up for you. 

In Lisbon, we have the celebration of Saint António, and just like pretty much everything in the world..it’s all about love. Boyfriends give to their girlfriends a flower pot of basil. If the boy is lucky enough, the girl will take care of the flower pot for a year and renew their love with a new basil the year after.  

But the flower pot is not only about the basil (which you can easily sense the intense aroma). It also brings a small banner hanging on the pot with a popular Portuguese verse, which usually is cheesy but full of meaning. Take the example of this one:

After the day comes the night

After the night comes the day

And after missing you

Comes missing you even more

Or this one:

The pot I gave her

She doesn’t know who gave it to her

She is putting it over the window

Without anyone knowing it’s mine to give. 

Enough about flower pot’s of basil, it might be the tradition and the origin of this amazing party that happens in Lisbon, but it’s not the whole purpose. 

It’s all about seeing the streets filled with people having fun, it’s about sharing a beer with people that you just encountered, it’s about that amazing sardine that you will be eating and the great greasy bread that comes under it, it’s all about having a great time.

Go to Bica, go to Graça, go everywhere Saint António takes you and enjoy.