ambience: parade music, singing children’s’ voices – Portuguese
This month, the streets of Lisbon will be packed with festival-goers while the capital of Portugal celebrates its traditions, and shows the rest of the world that it knows how to have a good time. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet. Throughout the month, the social scene in the city is dominated by street parties and parades. Ana Mantero is coordinator of public relations for the Lisbon Festival.
“It’s a month full of events and full of things happening in the city in open spaces. And it is important because it’s a way of saying to people that Lisbon is a different town, a different city during the month of June. People come to Lisbon and they know they have activity, they have events to go to, they have things on the streets to see and to enjoy.”
With its parties and parades, the revelry may seem to be catering to visitors. But to locals, the festival is really a celebration of what it means to be from Lisbon. Alfonso Pais Sousa who has been a participant in the Lisbon festival since he was a child, describes it as a way to bridge the generation gap within the culture.
“It means contact with other people — with different ages. It means sharing the same space, sharing the same air, the same foods. So I guess that’s kind of a bond between generations. It’s one between different cultures, from different people, from different ages and from different social context. And it’s also a means to keep the tradition alive.”
Pulse of the Planet is made possible by the National Science Foundation. I’m Jim Metzner.