Colors of Sao Miguel Island - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Communicating with the residents of Sao Miguel, remember that the locals are very patriotic and can't stand it when their achievements are compared with the achievements of their neighbours. Many people know Spanish, but they don’t like to use it. If you do not know Portuguese, it is better to contact the locals in English, not in Spanish. Firstly, they know English better, and secondly, some Portuguese are seriously offended by attempts to talk to them in Spanish. In these cases, they believe that the interlocutor simply does not know that the country has its own language. Whatever the situation is, you should never joke about the history of Portugal, its politicians or a place on the world stage.

If you are talking to a stranger, you should start with the word "senor" or "senorita". If you know the profession of the interlocutor or his academic title, you should mention it. Local residents greet each other with a handshake, without making any distinction by sex or even age – it will be as appropriate to shake hands with a child as with an adult. If you make friends with a local, he can offer you to move to more informal communication, but in this case, the initiative should come from a native of Sao Miguel. Friends usually hug each other or kiss on the cheeks.

If someone from the islanders will invite you to visit, then you should buy a small gift to the owner, like a bottle of wine, flowers or a souvenir according to the rules of etiquette. It is not acceptable to talk about family and family relationships, even if you are close with locals, as well as to refuse drinking alcohol offered by the owner. If you are late for 10-20 minutes, it is even not necessary to apologize. But the only exception is lunch, which is extremely important for local residents. It is not accepted to come late for this event. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The locals are very emotional people and they like to actively gesticulate and raise their voices when communicating. Despite this, the islanders don’t accept the bad form and show their emotions openly only in the company of friends. It is also important to observe all the rules of decency concerning the appearance. «Clothes do not make the man» - this proverb describes the mentality of the residents of Sao Miguel. Do not be surprised that the majority of the island's residents over 23 years old already have their own family and children at the age of 23. The best age for marriage is 16 years for a girl and 20-22 for a boy. Young people tend to live separately from their parents after the marriage, they often buy a house in a mortgage.

Almost 90% of those who live on the island are Catholics. Representatives of other religions and atheists are tolerated here, but it is better not to discuss religion with the locals. The religion leaves a certain imprint on public relations. For example, it is not welcome here to go in too open clothes or bathing suit anywhere outside the beach. Locals are extremely negative to blasphemy. Public quarrels and many other very emotional expressions are not accepted here. Despite the fact that locals are very hot-tempered people, they believe that you should restrain your emotions in public. Catholic holidays are very popular here, they are celebrated by the local families, including even those who do not share the Christian faith. The main Church holidays are celebrated everywhere – Good Friday, the Body of Christ, the Assumption of the Virgin, All Saints ' Day, the Day of the Immaculate Conception and Christmas.

The residents of Sao Miguel Island wear costumes during the celebration of St. John's day. During the festivities, people make fires and jump through them. In Sao Miguel Holy Ghost (Espirito Santo) festivals are held on Sundays from April to June. Procession of Our Lord of the Sick is an important event for the locals. The streets, covered with petals laid out in artistic designs, are the scene of the procession. The carpets of petals display all the hues of the flowers of the Azores.