Portugal celebrated its national day on Monday in the heart of Bucharest with an evening of choral music, where dignitaries paid tribute to political and cultural ties and values shared by the EU and NATO member states.
The celebration, known as the Camões, marked a half a century since the Atlantic nation got rid of a military dictatorship.
The star of the evening was the Madrigal Choir, conducted by Anna Ungureanu, which serenaded more than 300 people gathered at Bucharest’s grand National Art Museum on Calea Victoriei on a stage lit up with red and green lights, the colors of the Portuguese flag.
Romania’s famed National Chamber Choir started its repertoire with the Portuguese and Romanian national anthems, while Portuguese Ambassador to Romania, Paulo Cunha Alves, opened the event which ended with guests feasting on Portuguese delicacies such as bacalhau com natas_ a dish of cod fish with potato and cream and pasteis de nata, sweet egg custard tarts and brigadeiro chocolate cake.
On a scorching hot evening in the Romanian capital, guests washed down the delicious dishes with Portuguese wines such as vinho verde from the Minho region of northern Portugal.
Ambassador Alves said the countries, which both speak Latin-based languages, also share the values of peace, democracy and human rights, explaining the significance and history of his country’s National Day.
Portugal Day which marks the day of the death of national poet Luis de Camões on June 10, 1580. A year after the Carnation Revolution on April 25, 1974 which overthrew a right-wing regime, the holiday became known as the Day of Portugal, Camões.
Romanian state secretary for European Affairs, Daniela Gitman, said the countries were also joined by historical and cultural interests and academic and cultural affinities.
Mrs. Gitman who has been appointed Romania’s ambassador to Portugal, said the countries stood for peace and stability, and the rule of law.
She noted that Romania was the first country in the southeast Europe to recognize the new government after the dictatorship was toppled 50 years ago. Romania was under communist rule at the time.
Both Portugal and Romania are united in their condemnation of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. Its President Volodymyr Zelensky made an official visit to Portugal in late May where he signed bilateral security agreement under which Portugal will allocate at least 126 million euros in military aid for Ukraine in 2024.
Voters in both countries bucked the broader European trend in European Parliamentary elections and shifted abruptly away from far-right parties.
Portuguese Chega’s populist party was riding a wave of sympathy– and won 18.1% of the popular vote in March elections, while Romania’s Alliance for the Unity of Romanians was polling 20%.
However, less than three months later in the EU elections, Chega’s support slipped dramatically to 9.8% of the popular vote, while AUR scored under 15% in European Parliament elections and less than 6% in local elections held consecutively.
The Carnation Revolution, marked a peaceful military coup led by leftist military officers which brought freedom for the Portuguese and led to a transition to democracy and the end of the Portuguese Colonial War in Africa..
It toppled the authoritarian Estado Novo Regime which was installed in 1933 and was inspired by right-wing conservative, fascist, anti-democratic, and autocratic ideologies, of Antonio de Oliveira Salazar.
Red carnations were given to soldiers who placed these flowers inside their guns and on their uniforms and the flowers became a symbol of democracy and the revolution.
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