Mixed Portugal Trivia

1. Seen in festivals throughout Portugal, who or what are caretos?

From Quiz Portuguese Culture

Answer: Men dressed in masks and costumes

Caretos are most prominently seen during Carnival but can be seen at other times as well. They are typically young, unmarried men who dress in elaborate, multicolored costumes and masks and attempt to scare people, usually young women. Caretos have their origins in ancient Celtic times.

From Quiz Portugal

Answer: Western Europe

Portugal is situated on the Iberian Peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and Spain. It has one of the most ancient cultures and thanks to Portuguese navigators such as Vasco da Gama, it played a leading role in the discovery of sea routes to other continents.

From Quiz Portuguese Culture

Answer: Grape varieties

Castas are the different grape varieties grown in Portugal, only some of which can legally be used to make wine. Portugal produces a wide variety of wines, the most famous of which is robably the Port wine from the area in and around Porto. Wine is produced throughout the country and Portugal is a world leader in wine production.

From Quiz Portugal

Answer: Lisbon

Lisbon is situated by the Tejo river. Porto is also a Portuguese city and widely considered the second city of the country. On the other hand, Madrid and Barcelona are Spanish cities, Madrid being the capital.

From Quiz Portuguese Culture

Answer: The Gospel According to Jesus Christ

"The Gospel According to Jesus Christ" was considered offensive to Christianity because it portrayed a fictional version of Jesus who had human flaws. As a result, Saramago left Portugal for Spain and died there in 2010. In addition to his controversies, Saramago was also criticized for his style choices. He was known for writing really long run-on sentences and not putting dialogue in quotation marks, making his works difficult to read and understand.

From Quiz Portugal

Answer: Escudo

The escudo used to be the Portuguese currency. The peseta was the Spanish currency before the Euro, the lira was the Italian currency, and the pound is still the currency of Great Britain.

From Quiz Portuguese Culture

Answer: The city of Porto

"Douro, Faina Fluvial" translates to "Labor on the Douro" referring to the Douro River on which Porto lies. The film debuted in 1931 and was not well received. Afterwards, de Oliveira stopped making films for a short while as he was discouraged. However, the documentary was well liked by some critics, particularly outside of Portugal.

From Quiz Portugal

Answer: The Portuguese

The Portuguese national anthem is called 'The Portuguese' or in Portuguese, 'A Portuguesa'. The poetry was written by Henrique Lopes de Mendonça and the music was composed by Alfredo Keil.

From Quiz Portuguese Culture

Answer: The first soccer match in Portugal

The Portuguese are known worldwide for their love of soccer or futbol. Camacha hosted the nation's first match in 1875 when British students studying on Madeira organized a game. Today, a wall memorial stands on that location. Portugal is the birthplace of many of the world's premiere soccer stars including Cristiano Ronaldo.

From Quiz Portugal

Answer: Olá

'Hello' is 'Olá' in Portuguese! You can also say 'oi', which is even more informal and corresponds to English 'hi'!

From Quiz Portuguese Culture

Answer: Sticks

Jogo do pau stems from Medieval times when families would fight for honor. A similar fighting style was also used in wars because it could be done on horseback. It was also used as recently as the Napoleonic Wars. Jogo do pau has evolved over time and many scholars suggest the more recent incarnations may be influenced by Indian fighting styles that were incorporated into the original after Portugal colonized India.

From Quiz Portuguese Culture

Answer: 1755 Earthquake

During the 1755 earthquake that devastated Lisbon, the city needed to be rebuilt. Sebastiao Jose de Carvalho e Melo, the first Marquess of Pombal, developed the Pombaline style which was believed to keep the city safe should another earthquake strike. The style is characterized by wooden panels that would be covered with other materials, giving buildings flexibility so they can "shake but not fall". Pombaline style can be described as a mix of rococo and medieval in decorative style.

From Quiz Portuguese Culture

Answer: Salted cod

Bachalhau is traditionally salted cod though it may also be dried. It can be served all year round but it is mostly reserved for Christmas and other celebrations. Portugal is not the only place in Europe were Bacalhau is a traditional dish. Similarly salted cods are popular in Scandinavia and Spain.

From Quiz Portugal

Answer: Lisbon

Portela airport is situated right in the heart of Lisbon and it's the most important one. Porto and Faro also have airports. Porto's airport is named 'Sá Carneiro' (Sá Carneiro was once a Portuguese prime minister) and Faro's airport is named called 'Faro'. Although Coimbra doesn't have an airport it is one of the most important cities in Portugal, well known for its university.

From Quiz Portuguese Culture

Answer: Fado

Fado is characterized as mournful music that creates a sense of longing. It is usually performed in tribute to someone or something lost or in the past. Fado translates to fate in English. Amalia Rodrigues was called the Queen of Fado because she brought the music to the international stage during the 1950s and 60s. Many of Portugal's entries into the Eurovision Song Contest have been Fado songs.

From Quiz Portugal

Answer: green and red

The Portuguese flag tells its people's story and the main colours are green and red, other colours as yellow and blue also feature in the flag. The five blue shields represent the five Morisco kings Don Afonso Henriques (the father of the Portuguese kingdom) defeated in the Battle of Ourique. The white shield with the five small blue shields inside is the Armor of Don Afonso Henriques. The legend has it that in the Battle of Ourique the crucified Christ appeared before Don Afonso Henriques and said: "With this sign [the white shield], you will conquer!". The dots inside each of the blue shield represents the five wounds of Christ. Counting the number of dots in the shields, doubling the ones in the center shield, yields a total of thirty dots representing the thirty silver pieces Judas received for having betrayed Jesus Christ. The seven castles around the white shield represent the fortified locations that Don Afonso Henriques conquered from the Moors. The yellow sphere represents the world that Portuguese navigators discovered in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries as well as the people with whom they exchanged ideas and traded with. The green color represents hope and the red the courage and the blood of the Portuguese fallen in combat. The creators of the flag are: Columbano, João Chagas and Abel Botelho.

From Quiz Portuguese Culture

Answer: Nuno Goncalves

Nuno Goncalves was a famous 15th century Portuguese painter known for his portrayals of noble Portuguese people. His most famous works are the "Panels of Saint Vincent" which were rediscovered in the 19th century after the panels were moved around constantly. It is not known for sure if Goncalves is the actual artist but he is credited with painting them. The panels are a subject of controversy in Portugal as no one is certain who or what is exactly depicted. The alleged appearance of Prince Henry the Navigator is perhaps the most notable.

From Quiz Portugal

Answer: Fado

Fado is known all over the world thanks to Amalia Rodrigues. It's typical Portuguese music, you can't come to Portugal and miss the Fado restaurants where you can enjoy a typical Portuguese meal while you can hear great musicians entertaining you with beautiful Fado.

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