Algarve > The Culture
Algarve

The Culture

About the Algarve culture

 

More than just magnificent beaches and a blessed climate, the Algarve offers a rich folk heritage which is worth appreciating along with the pleasures of the sun and the sea.

Devote some time to discovering it because there are old customs, living traditions and heritage buildings which can be enjoyed throughout the year.

Algarvians across the centuries have left such a rich heritage which deserves to be explored: from the unique celebrations of festive occasions such as Easter, Christmas; to the historical buildings of ancient and recent times; to the irresistible delicacies making up the regional cuisine.

The Algarve is certainly very different and rich in culture making it the most particular province of Portugal. The reason being that this region was run by the moors for about 500 years; this Moorish influence can still be seen today in the narrow streets and chimneys with the most varied shapes and designs.

The Algarve is famous for its pottery and ceramics, particularly hand-painted pottery and azulejos or tiles. There are numerous ceramics and pottery outlets throughout the region. For working potteries/ceramics workshops the main, or best-known, pottery centres are located in the towns of Almancil, Porches and Loulé. But there are many other potteries and workshops in the Algarve region.

Music and dance are strong cultural expressions that best reflect the soul of a nation.
In the Algarve the tourist flag is the “corridinho” a cheerful version of folklore that, according to several testimonies, was born from the polka and from the mazurka. With the introduction of the accordion to these saloon dances on the end of the 19th century, players invented and reinvented the songs until the “corridinho” was born.

The tinkle of the triangle and the sound of the accordion give way to the dancers that come on scene with a bright eye under the black felt hat ready to show how the Algarve dances the “corridinho”.

 

Join us and enjoy the Algarve culture!

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