Portuguese American Journal

Portuguese American Journal

Featured Stories
Faith May 5th | World Portuguese Language Day Celebrated Globally 1976-2026 | Azores celebrate 50 Years of Constitutional Autonomy Book | Bag of Kisses | By Melanie Pereira April 25th |  “Dia da Liberdade” celebrated nationwide and across the diaspora
 

Faith & Tradition | Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres returns May 8 – Azores

The Feast of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres returns to the city of Ponta Delgada from May 8 to May 14, 2026, with the main procession scheduled for Sunday, May 10, the fifth Sunday after Easter. Considered the largest religious celebration in the Azores and among the most significant Catholic festivities in Portugal, the celebrations […]

May 5th | World Portuguese Language Day Celebrated Globally – Portugal 

World Portuguese Language Day [Dia Mundial da Língua Portuguesa] is being celebrated today across the globe, recognizing the cultural, historical, and geopolitical importance of one of the world’s most widely spoken languages.  The day is celebrated by cultural and academic initiatives in approximately 50 countries, including conferences, literary events, exhibitions, and educational programs, from Lisbon […]

1976-2026 | Azores celebrate 50 Years of Constitutional Autonomy – Azores 

The Autonomous Region of the Azores is preparing for a historic year of celebrations in 2026 to mark the 50th anniversary of its Constitutional Autonomy. This milestone underscores five decades of self-governance, regional identity, and transatlantic connection.  The commemorations will culminate on September 8, 2026, marking the formal implementation of autonomy under the Constitution of […]

Book | Bag of Kisses | By Melanie Pereira – Editor’s Note

For a little girl whose daddy is a fisherman in the #1 fishing port in the world, goodbyes are never easy. But before he leaves for sea, her parents share a special secret―a magical bag of kisses that keeps their love close, no matter how far the waves carry him. As the days pass and […]

April 25th |  “Dia da Liberdade” celebrated nationwide and across the diaspora – Portugal

The Portuguese nation commemorates today the 52nd anniversary of the Carnation Revolution transition to democracy, with a nationwide program of official ceremonies, public demonstrations, and cultural events. The celebrations expanded abroad, connecting the country to its global diaspora, particularly in the United States. At the center of the national commemorations will be the traditional formal […]

Book: ‘The Paras: Portugal’s First Elite Force in Africa,1961-1974’ – Editor’s Note

18 April 2017

Portuguese paratroopers or “paras” began as a stepchild of the army and found a home in the Portuguese Air Force in 1955. Initially, the post-World War Two Portuguese Army seemed to have had mixed emotions about the need for elite, special-purpose forces that operated in small units with the attendant flexibility and elevated lethality. Shock […]

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Posted in Angola, Arts&Culture, Books, Featured, Heritage, Portugal

Ciganos: Portuguese Roma in major German photo project – By Len Port

16 April 2017

By Len Port, Contributor (*) Romani families in Portugal recently welcomed into their homes a professional German photographer, Florian Schwarz, to take portraits for a unique exhibition to illustrate the diversity of migrant communities across Europe. Schwarz’s focus on Romani people, more commonly known in English as Gypsies and in Portuguese as Ciganos, was the […]

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Posted in Featured, Heritage, People, Portugal, World

Book: ‘Lusitanian Amphorae: Production and Distribution’ – Editor’s Note

15 April 2017

More than a century of archaeological investigation in Portugal has helped to discover, excavate and study many Lusitanian amphorae kiln sites, with their amphorae being widely distributed in Lusitania. These containers were identified in Ostia and Rome from the 1970s and thereafter in many sites around the Mediterranean, but their numbers have always seemed scarce. […]

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Posted in Arts&Culture, Books, Featured, Food & Wine, Portugal, World

Travel: Azores Airlines on strike from May 1 to May 2 – Portugal

14 April 2017

Cabin workers from SATA International / Azores Airlines have announced they will be on strike from May 1 to May 2 according to a statement released to the press by the National Union of Civil Aviation (SNPVAC). The two day stoppage, which will include “all Azores Airlines/SATA International flights”, will fulfill only the “minimum services” of […]

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Posted in Azores, Community, Featured, Heritage, Organizations, Portugal, Travel

Book: ‘The Love Life of an Assistant Animator’ by Katherine Vaz – Editor’s Note

09 April 2017

In this long-awaited collection of short fiction by the author of Mariana and Our Lady of the Artichokes, beauty is continually and painfully present in all places–in a Thanksgiving dinner assembled by a widowed DMV worker being stalked by an irate customer; in a middle-aged Hollywood actress who captivates a young studio animator for decades; […]

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Posted in Arts&Culture, Books, Community, Featured, Heritage, Interviews, People

Honor: Aristides de Sousa Mendes awarded Grand Cross of the Order of Freedom – Portugal

07 April 2017

The President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, awarded Aristides de Sousa Mendes (1885-1954), with the Grand Cross of the Order of Freedom, on the 63rd anniversary of the Portuguese diplomat’s death. The ceremony was held this week in front of the Sousa Mendes’ family home, Casa do Passal, in Cabanas de Viriato, Portugal. Casa […]

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Posted in Awards, Featured, Heritage, Organizations, People, Portugal, World