Lentorama 2021: Take Your Holiday to Go

Day 25: Azores Day

As you might have guessed, this holiday celebrates the Azores island group, or more specifically the granting of political autonomy in the Portuguese constitution. So how does it fit in with our theme?

The day is celebrated on the same day as the Festival of the Holy Spirit, which is celebrated by the Cult of the Holy Spirit that is centered in the Azores. Note in this case, it's a cult in the sense of an accepted religious practice within a faith rather than what we usually think of as a cult. It is held on the Monday after Pentecost Sunday, usually in late May or early June.

This combination of religious and secular motives for the holiday were noted in the preamble to the law that created it, and is seen in its celebrations, which not only celebrate Azorean autonomy but their culture, which is pretty bound up in religious observation. Not surprisingly, the celebration of the day winds up being part of the Holy Ghost festivals, which are held in towns across the islands.