The Portuguese celebrated the 46th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution by singing from their porches on Saturday, in view of the stone measures that prevented them from organizing the usual popular rallies.
At three o´clock (14:00 GMT), the Portuguese went out abundantly with carnations to greet their neighbors and chant the song "Grandola Villa Morena", the symbol of the military coup on April 25, 1974 that ended 48 years of fascist dictatorship and 13 years of wars. Colonial, and then they cast the national anthem.
The invitation, which was launched in the media and social media, found support from the April 25 Association, the heir to the "Movement of the Captains" that paved the way for democracy, several left-wing parties as well as the Lisbon municipality.
For her part, a university professor residing in Aveiro (North), Elizabeth Figueiredo, 53, considered it "somewhat sad that we could not take to the street, but going out onto the balcony is the only possible way now."
"What distinguishes April 25 is the freedom to take to the streets to celebrate the end of that sad era in our history," added the woman, who was one of the first to suggest this alternative way to commemorate the revolution.
In Parliament, senior political officials participated in the morning in a brief celebration out of respect for the healthy rules of social separation.
"In these exceptional times, which are marked by pain, suffering, mourning, divergence and stone, it is important to remember the homeland, independence, republic, freedom and democracy," conservative President Marcelo Robello de Sousa said in his speech during a parliamentary session that some right-wing deputies wanted to abolish.
For his part, Socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Twitter that "the state of emergency does not suspend democracy."
Portugal was not affected by the new Corona virus, to the same degree as neighboring Spain, but it recorded 880 deaths and more than 23,000 infections, according to an official toll released on Saturday.
