Nazaré Local Customs

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People from Nazaré are very open to visitors. If one experiments to chat with the locals one will immediately notice how lively they speak back.

Actually, no matter the age local people are, they are usually very open to foreigners.

With those ladies pictured on this tip I've experienced a very dynamic conversation. Showing such bright life while chatting, those ladies gave me a really inspiration for life.

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It's a tradition in Nazaré. Local ladies Sun dry their carapaus ("Trachurus trachurus").

According to my pocket dictionary, "carapau" translates into english as "small saurel" or "stickleback".

The Carapaus generally take one or two days to be full dried.

Sales to tourists are appreciated. 1 Euro buys one dozen Sun dried Carapaus.

I guess Sun drying fish is an ancient tradition that nowadays is still kept alive to store inexpensive food at home. Well, at least the local Nazaré ladies say this tradition has been in use for generations back.

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Fishermen wives wore the traditional headscarf and embroidered aprons over seven layers of flannel skirts in different colours thus SEVEN SKIRTS OF NAZARE'. Seven represented seven days of the week, seven colours of the rainbow and so on.
Fishwives of old would await the safe return of their men, on the beach in cold , wet and windy conditions. The multiple layers would keep them warm. The tradition is carried on to this day,
We had a lovely surprise at the restaurant, when a local Senhora visited our VT group and demonstrated to us, all the layers of her skirt. Quite interesting actually.

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Tradition is fading in Nazaré, but, if you look carefully, it's still present, specially in the old people.

That happens because the fading is the result of the new opportunities of live, not for loosing respect and the love of that tradition.

Nazaré is struggling to preserve its unique culture, and, I appreciate that effort, though, sometimes, we easily understand that they are only performing for visitors.

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"99...98...97...95...95...94... Chuí. Sold by 94 to that man in the second row".

And the basket of fish was replaced by the next one, until the end of that day's catch.

Now, the "Lota" is closed, and that show is not available anymore. But the place was preserved, and is now used as a cultural center.

Good idea. I saw books and computers around, but forgive me, I only really saw those steps were for decades beat the earth of the people, and started the spreading of fresh fish to the area.

At the door, a woman looks at the sea and waits. But to make entire justice to Nazaré's women, a couple more female figures should be added running with baskets in their heads to the markets.

Some would say these ladies dress for tourists, but the age of the lady we saw makes me believe that was not the case with her. It was evidently the custom in the past for women to wait on the beach for their fishermen and, as it can be windy and chilly at oceanfront, they would wear as many as seven petticoats so that they could use them to wrap their limbs and heads in for warmth. It was also the custom for widows to wear black for the rest of their lives. The lady we saw obviously had on several petticoats which made her skirt sort of balloon out. She was elderly and wearing black but we are not sure if she was a widow.

Once a large activity, the racks of drying fish in the sand almost disappeared, since the closing of the "Lota". However, in front of the new cultural center (performed?...) you still may see how it is done, and imagine the look, the smell (the flies) of the large area they once used in that work.

Would you believe me if I say that I never tasted that dried fish?

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Market days bring vendors of all kinds to the main center of the lower town. They line Avineda da Republica and along the Pracas Arriaga and Praca Sousa Oliveira. Here you can find clothing of all types, olives, nuts and other foodstuffs. It has an authentic feel as the kiosks and tents are staffed by older ladies and the things like nuts and olives are not pre-packaged. I read that these markets take place every day except Monday