Original text by Chiara Lanari, updated and completed by our editors.
New Year's Eve, in Portuguese Passagem de Ano or Réveillon, is lively and intense throughout Portugal. Every town has concerts and fireworks, and the festive atmosphere is truly infectious.
Lisbon and Porto
In Lisbon the main party is in Praça do Comércio, on the Tagus, with free concerts and fireworks over the river at midnight; after the toast people dance and sing until morning in the squares and in the bars of the Bairro Alto, Cais do Sodré and along the river. In Porto the big event is on Avenida dos Aliados, in front of the city hall, with live music and fireworks, while many choose to watch the fireworks from the banks of the Douro.
Madeira, the most famous New Year
The country's most celebrated New Year is in Madeira. At midnight Funchal bay lights up with a firework display launched from dozens of points around the city's natural amphitheatre and from ships in the bay, so spectacular that in 2006 it entered the Guinness World Records as the largest in the world. Many cruise ships arrive especially for the occasion. But the festivities start in early December and last until Epiphany: streets are decorated with lights and colourful designs, spectacular nativity scenes are set up, and on the night of 23 December the Mercado dos Lavradores and surrounding streets fill up for the traditional Noite do Mercado. There are also craft and local produce markets.
Midnight traditions
As in Spain, the Portuguese eat twelve raisins (passas) on the twelve strokes of midnight, making a wish for each month of the year. Some stand on a chair or bench and step down with the right foot to start the year on the right foot, some bang pots and lids to drive away bad luck, some keep a banknote or coin in their pocket to have money all year. People toast with sparkling wine, and some wear underwear in a lucky colour, often blue.
Janeiras and Dia de Reis
After New Year the festivities carry on until Epiphany. In the first days of January, in the streets of villages and neighbourhoods, you will hear the folk songs of the janeiras, groups who go from house to house singing New Year wishes and receiving sweets, dried fruit or a few coins in return.
Epiphany, Dia de Reis on 6 January, is mainly a religious feast and closes the Christmas season: in Portugal, unlike Spain, children get their presents at Christmas. It is the time to eat the last bolo rei, the king cake, which once hid a broad bean and a surprise: whoever found the bean had to buy the cake the following year. Similar customs exist in many countries: Spain has the roscón de Reyes, in Greece a coin is hidden in the vasilopita and in Denmark a whole almond in the Christmas rice pudding. For the period before, see the page on Christmas in Portugal.