Colors of Azores - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Locals are very friendly to visitors and accept them as honored guests. For example, sellers in souvenir shops can treat visitors with fine wine. Every native is always ready to tell curious tourists many interesting legends about local attractions. Personal life is considered the only taboo. You shouldn’t particularly discuss with the locals problems of raising children.

St. John's Day is one of the most beloved national holidays. It is celebrated on June 24. The celebration is always accompanied by colorful parades, festivals and performances of street artists. Fires remain the main attribute of the holiday – they are light in all major areas. All main celebrations are organized around these huge fires. Many compare the rituals of the locals to traditional Brazilian carnivals, and to the Old Slavonic traditions. Indeed, you can see such colorful costumes in famous Brazilian carnival. In the end of the holiday everyone can jump over the fire - it is a true fun and reminds of the Slavic rituals.

August is the time for another interesting holiday - Week of Sea. As it is not hard to guess, the main part of the celebrations are held on the beaches. For a whole week music does not stop at the coastline, the air is full of flavors of fried fish. The celebration is especially liked by children who can play in specially organized playgrounds and water attractions. Despite the fact that many national holidays are official weekends the locals come to have fun even after a hard working day. There is one more interesting festival in August - Mare d'Agosto Festival, which always attracts many fans of contemporary music. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

When coming to Azores, do your best to enjoy the celebration of the Day of the Holy Spirit. Locals believe that the Holy Spirit defends them from natural disasters, and organize this religious celebration on the highest level, especially in such islands as Terceira, Sao Jorge, and Pico.The glory about his miracles took root in the islands, where life was held in harsh conditions, and the remoteness of the archipelago from the mainland allowed the rituals to survive, while they went into oblivion in continental Portugal. Sacred rituals are followed to this day in almost their original form: the coronation of the Emperor, the exhibition of his attributes - crowns and scepter, the cortege of the Emperor and the Empress. Moreover, during the holiday, everyone will enjoy the distribution of treats: the soup of the Holy Spirit with meat and vegetables, bread and wine.

Every year, on the picturesque roads of the island of San Miguel, passes the rally on the Azores - SATA Rallye Açores. The Azores' Rally has been held for more than 50 years and is considered as one of the most important stages of the Portugal Championship and one of the stages of the European Cup of the International Federation of Motorsports. The date of the event changes with every year, so if you are interested to visit this exciting event, check the official website. The race starts from the Portas da Cidade de Ponta Delgada. But this is not only a race track but also a magnificent tourist route that passes through the most remarkable places on the island of San Miguel, among them Lake Seven Cities, which reveals the beauty of this island.