10 to 12 June | from 7pm
at: Praça do Infante, Lagos city center
June is the month to celebrate the portuguese Popular Saints with street parties across the country on the nights of Santo António, São João and São Pedro.
In Lagos, the party will be at Praça do Infante - guaranteed entertainment !You can eat grilled sardines (very popular on this parties) as well as other typical dishes, sing and dance into the night.
The streets are decorated with colorful lanterns and it smells like Magerico:)
Why Mangerico?
Manjerico (similar to basil) is known as the Valentine's herb because, according to an old tradition, boys gave small Magerico, in vases, to their girlfriends, around Saint Anthony, considered the matchmaker saint. This offer functioned, at times, practically as a commitment as strong as a marriage proposal.
According to tradition, the girlfriend, upon receiving basil from her lover, had to take care of the plant for a year until the basil was replaced on Saint Anthony's Day of the following year. In addition to the plant, it is common for the vase to also bring a paper flower and a small flag with a popular verse alluding to love.
But why offer basil and not another plant? Manjericos are plants with an annual life cycle. They can and should be sown at the end of winter. After flowering during the summer, they set seeds and die in the fall.
Monday to Saturday 09:30 to 18:30
