Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match? Tradition has it that Lisbon’s patron saint has made more than a few over the past over the last 800 years or so. It’s June 12 folks, and that means it’s time for the Portuguese to celebrate the Feast of Saint Anthony.
To find out more about the man and his works, visit Lisbon’s Museuo Antoniano. It’s located near Igreja de Santo António da Sé, a magnificent 18th-century Baroque and Neoclassical edifice. His matchmaking reputation makes this church a favorite for weddings.
The festival associated with the Feast of Saint Anthony is a full-tilt affair, replete with street parties, dancing in the streets and fireworks. Suffused through the celebration is the unmistakable scent of sardines. The Portuguese love them – and you’ll never look on the tiny, silvery fish quite the same after a roasted meal of them accompanied by Portuguese cheese (some of the best in the world) and a substantial snifter of port.
June 12 marks the highpoint of the festivities, with a procession along the Avenida da Liberdade. On the afternoon of June 13, there’s another procession – this one to the Sé cathedral.
While June is the focus of festivities, that doesn’t mean the rest of the summer is exactly wasted in Lisbon. There’s fabulous fado music, the sad, sultry songs so favored by the Portuguese. There’s also some extraordinary jazz to be had.
While you may not be able to make the trip this time around, paying homage to Saint Anthony is a yearly tradition here. Make plans for 2013, and savor the preparations. There’s an abundance of lovely Lisbon nonstops from the United Sates. SATA International offers nonstop flights from Boston Logan. TAP fields flights from Miami. United and TAP make the trip out of Newark Liberty International and US Airways offers service from Philadelphia.
(Image: Fr Antunes)
