Lisbon’s craziest night: June 12, Eve of Saint Anthony (Santo Antonio), a mix of religion & sex
In June, the month of the Festas dos Santos Populares (Feast Days of the Popular Saints), the Lisbon nights are filled with lively festivities that take over the city’s historical center. On the eve of Saint Anthony day Lisbon turns into one big party! Lisbon’s craziest night 2011
Bica, near Bairro Alto – partying in the small street around the famous funicular, it’s hard to walk there!
The narrow streets in Bairro Alto (at night) are filled with people in a party mood, enjoying a whole lot of caipirinhas and mojitos on the bar-lined hills. Every bar and club in the district shuts its doors and moves its drinks to the windows, or on to tables outside.
Bairro Alto – restaurant Paladar – drinks & sardinhas (sardines) with traditional bread. (I can recommend this trendy restaurant)
Largo da Trindade – people are dancing on Pimba music – a term used for a variety of popular Portuguese folk solo singers and bands whose songs are frequently driven by metaphors with sexual meanings. Pimba music in English 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NbZtySlios
Alfama in June – all the streets are decorated with garlands and lights, from Castelo to Mouraria, Graça to Alfama, and Ajuda to Bairro Alto. Barely a street escapes as paper lanterns, streamers and coloured lights are hung from balconies and railings.
Historical area Mouraria
There’s also the grilled sardines, you can smell it everywhere in the streets!It’s not a good time for sardines though as everywhere in Lisbon you see people grilling sardines outside their homes and the narrow streets fill up people in party mood.
As a symbol of affection, people present each other with little pots of basil (manjerico)and paper carnations on which they write poems.
Santo Antonio (better known as Saint Anthony of Padua), revered as a matchmaker, protector of young brides and patron of the lost and found, was actually born in Lisbon, on the site of this church, Largo Santo Antonio à Sé, Alfama.
Mass marriages known as “St. Anthony’s Weddings” are held during the mid-June St. Anthony’s Day celebrations.
Your pictures really capture the atmosphere. Next year I hope to go over when the festival is on as I think it would be a true Lisbon experience
[...] Partying in the small street around the famous Bica funicular, near Bairro Alto , one of the best spots in Europe for a night out. In June, the month of the Festas dos Santos Populares (Feast Days of the Popular Saints), the Lisbon nights are filled with lively festivities that take over the city’s historical center. On the eve of Saint Anthony day, June 13th, Lisbon turns into one big party! More…. [...]
[...] Alto, Rua da Atalaia, June 2009. June is the month of the Festas dos Santos Populares (Feast Days of the Popular Saints). The Lisbon nights are filled with lively festivities that take [...]
[...] The month of June is party time in Lisbon! One of Portugal’s most popular saints, Santo António (Saint Anthony of Padua), was a Fransiscan friar canised by the Catholic Church in record time, one year after his death (on June 13, 1232). Many miracles have been attributed to him and he is considered a protector of the souls of purgatory, guardian of good marriages, defender of animals, healer, and advocate of lost objects. On the eve of June 13th Lisbon (and in all of Portugal) turns into one big party, the craziest night of the year! [...]
[...] Lisbon’s Craziest Night [...]
St. Anthony of Padua Pray For Us..
Does anyone know the name of the naked female saint that was in the
St. Anthony June 13th Parade in Lisbon this year. We have pictures but no one knows who it is? Please Email me at hunterdouglas4u@optonline.net — Please Do not reply unless you really know. Thank you..
Dzien dobry.Gratuluje bardzo dobrze napisanego posta.Sporo mozna znalezc w necie na ten temat ale tym artykulem autor wszystko przedstawia jak trzeba.Dzieki!
Dou os meus parabéns ao criador desta página sobre a cidade de Lisboa, no meu maravilhoso país(Portugal).Todos os estrangeiros ficam encantados e maravilhados, mas portugal tem muito mais em outras cidades para se ver, porque cada cidade tem a sua tradição e hábitos.
Obrigada Meysam Maleki
[...] Feast of St Anthony. Head to the Avenida da Liberdade for the procession, then up winding hilly lanes of Mouraria or Alfama. Grab your piece of St Anthony’s Bread, but don’t eat it – instead, take it to the nearest church, scribble down a prayer, and put it with all the others. There’s plenty to eat though, as long as you like sardines. Stay out of the expensive restaurants, and get them from somewhere where you can sit on a plastic stool and watch the activity. Eat them simply grilled with lots of lemon (and chase the kids around with their skeletons when you’re finished.). Ooh – and expect to see lots of brides, and if someone gives you a pot of basil, that means you’re next. Lovely blog post to get you in the mood here. [...]