Portugal may gain a new national holiday. The proposal came from José Luís Carneiro, secretary general of the Socialist Party, who defended this Sunday in Guimarães, that June 24, the Battle Day of St. Mamede, should be officially recognized as “Day 1 of Portugal”, as suggested by Zap.Aeiou, Portuguese digital publication focused on today, politics and culture.
The date, considered by many to be the true birth of the country, could thus be celebrated throughout the territory.
The battle that marked the beginning of Portugal
According to the same source, Carneiro submitted the proposal during an local authority in Guimarães, a city that became known as the “Cradle of the Nation”. The leader recalled that on this day of 1128, D. Afonso Henriques defeated the forces led by his mother, D. Teresa, and the Galician Count Fernão Peres de Trava, consolidating dominion over Portucalense County.
The politician explained that “it was from this moment that the construction of nationality began”, and argued that the country should “dedicate a holiday to the day of the Foundation of Portugal”.
According to the publication, the proposal already brings together support from several local figures, including the current mayor of Guimarães, Domingos Bragança, and socialist candidate Ricardo Costa.
A goal for 2028
Carneiro also stressed that in 2028 they are met 900 years about the battle of St. Mamede, a ephemeris that the PS wants to see “with the dignity that represents the beginning of Portugal”.
According to the same source, the Socialist Secretary-General said that the commitment “is also a way of recognizing the historical role of Guimarães and all who continue to make it one of the most innovative cities in the country.”
The socialist leader also pointed out that the idea of instituting a national holiday is not only a symbolic gesture, but also a tribute to Portuguese identity and history.
Of Guimarães to the rest of the country
The Battle of St. Mamede is today remembered mainly in Guimarães and in the cities that celebrate St. John, such as Porto and Braga, where June 24 is a municipal holiday.
But Carneiro intends to give him a national reach, placing it at the level of other foundational dates, such as October 5 or 10 June.
The highlight that the politician took advantage of the symbolic coincidence of the rally 882 years after the Treaty of Zamora, signed in 1143, which marked the recognition of Portugal as an independent kingdom. “It’s time to value the date that marks the beginning of everything,” he said.
With the approximation of the centenary ninth of the battle, the proposal promises to reopen the debate on the calendar of national holidays and how the country celebrates its own origin.
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