Doing Business in Portugal? It’s Important To Understand The Portuguese Culture

If you’re planning to expand your market and begin doing business in Portugal than it’s important for you to understand the Portuguese culture.

Located in Southern Europe you’ll find Portugal nestled in the middle with Spain to the north and south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east and west. Portugal also includes the Azores archipelagos situated mid ocean and made up of 9 islands.

Portugal dates back to the year 1143 making it one of the oldest nations in the world. Perhaps that’s why its identity is so distinctive.

In 1415 the Portuguese set sail and they were rewarded with the discover of the ocean routes to Japan, China, Brazil, and India. Testaments to their worldwide presence in earlier times is still found in Portuguese with a distinct culture that incorporates many of their 850 years worth of experiences from meeting ancient cultures such as the Romans, Arabs, Sueves, and Celts.

During the later part of the 18th Century Portugal began to down the path of modernization resulting in an enlightened culture atmosphere and effective economic restructuring. However WWI found Portugal on the side of the allies and by the mid 1920’s their economic situation was critical leading to the “New State” marked by authoritarianism, corporatism, and the decline of democratic liberties.

By 1974 Portugal had returned to a democratic way of life that was committed to developing the country socially and economically and by 1986 it had joined the European Economic Community. Today Portugal has a population of more than 10 million with the majority living on the mainland.

Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and it alone is home to 2 million and it’s a wonderful mix of old and new culture as well as old and new architecture.

Old quarters reveals narrow streets, medieval architecture, and homes that are centuries of years old standing among palaces and old world churches. Gothic and Romanesque influence has provided Portugal with some the greatest cathedrals in the world. Lisbon is the “European Culture Capital.” A title well earned, in fact Portugal is often referred to as the “Culture Country of the World.”

Throughout the centuries Portugal arts have had foreign influence from Italy, France, the Orient, Brazil, and other countries discovered by Portuguese travelers. Based on age old traditions each area of Portugal has its own style of song and dance some steeped deep in the matrimonial traditions of the area.

Sculptures dating back to the tombs from the 12th and 13th centuries are the finest in the world. A school of primitive painters can be found dating back to the 15th century with their leader Nuno Goncalves and the Flemish artist’s influence there have been some outstanding styles evolve as can be found in the convents and palaces. Churches are rich in religious art that is second to none.

The Portuguese are known around the world for their outstanding decorative arts especially their azulejos tiles. Many examples of these beautifully glazed tiles can be found in buildings from the 16th and 17th centuries. And it’s still a fine art practiced today.

Like every other element of the Portugal culture their literature is also distinctive with a variety of lyrical poetry, historical writings, and drama. The early song books called cancioneiros are evidence of the love for poetry in Portugal.

The Portuguese language is a direct descendent of Latin developed from the ancient Gallaeci in the north and eventually spreading throughout Portugal. Today there are five Portuguese dialects Galician, Brazilian, Insular, Beira, and Southern which includes Lisbon, Algarve, and Alentejo.

Still today you can find National dress in the Northern Minho province and you can find some traditional items such as the green and red stocking cap of the Alentejo cattleman still worn. Douro shepherds still wear straw cloaks, Madeira’s still wear national dress in the local markets, and black is still worn for morning in the villages.

The Portuguese culture is strong and runs back to ancient times making this country one of the most interesting places in the world. If you are planning to do business in Portugal then be sure you understand the Portuguese culture!

Deon Melchior is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit ArticleClick.com. Article Click is a free content article directory. This means that as a publisher you may reprint the articles that are included in our site, as long as the article is unedited and the author box is included with it's live hyperlinks.