Next: 25 Apr 2027
Freedom Day
Portugal remembers the Carnation Revolution of 1974 with red carnations.
What happens
On 25 April 1974 army officers ended almost fifty years of dictatorship in Portugal, nearly without bloodshed. People came into the streets of Lisbon to support the soldiers, and red carnations, in season and on sale that morning, were handed out and pushed into the barrels of rifles. The flower gave the revolution its name. The day is now a national holiday. Marchers walk down the Avenida da Liberdade holding carnations, and the flower is worn on the lapel.
The flowers
Original text by the Phool desk, written with AI assistance. Background: "Carnation Revolution" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from family to family and place to place. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Bouquet: James Vick's Sons (Rochester, N.Y.); Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed, No restrictions, source
- Dianthus: Darkone ( talk · contribs ), CC BY-SA 1.0, source