June 10: Portugal Day
Prayer Idea
Pray for people who celebrate their Portuguese heritage in Portugal and around the world.
History Note
Portugal is a relatively small country at the southwestern tip of Europe that has had a profound impact on world history.
Beginning in the 1400s, Portuguese explorers traveled down the coast of Africa and into the Indian Ocean. After the voyages of Christopher Columbus, they began sailing across the Atlantic Ocean also.
Portuguese traders and settlers left their mark across the world, in the modern countries of Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Canada, China, Guinea-Bissau, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mozambique, Oman, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, Uruguay, and Yemen.
Each year on June 10, people in Portugal and in Portuguese communities around the world celebrate Dia de Portugal, de Camões e das Comunidades Portuguesas (“Portugal, Camões, and Portuguese Communities Day”). Luís Vaz de Camões was a Portuguese poet who died on June 10, 1580. He published an epic poem about Portuguese history called Os Lusíadas.
People celebrate Portugal Day in Santos, Brazil, in 2018. Photo by Agência Briosa / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0.
Learn More
This video provides more information about the history and celebration of Portugal Day.
Find other resources at Homeschool History.
