25/04/2025
A wonderful memory - Força Portugal e Força Braga ❤️
And today we celebrate 51 years.
Today, Portugal celebrates the Carnation Revolution, a military coup that overthrew the authoritarian Estado Novo regime, on 25th of April 1974.
On the eve of that day, rebel soldiers in the Armed Forces Movement took over a radio station and played Grândola, Vila Morena (a song written and sung by José Afonso), as a signal for distant troops to begin advancing towards Lisbon. Today, Grândola, Vila Morena is a symbol of freedom, peace and democracy.
In the early 1970's, a number of José Afonso's songs were banned by the Estado Novo censors from being publicly played or broadcast, as they were considered to be associated with Communism. "Grândola, Vila Morena" was not one of the banned songs.
The song is a capella, sung in the style of ´cante alentejano´, which tells about the fraternity among the people of Grândola, a town in the Alentejo region of Portugal.
Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho, the chief strategist of the military coup by the Armed Forces Movement (MFA), needed a signal that could be transmitted nationwide via radio to all the military officers of the MFA, to indicate the start of their operation.
After the broadcast, strategic points in Portugal were occupied by the MFA troops. The military coup operation was successful and resulted in the Carnation Revolution, which overthrew the dictatorship of the Estado Novo regime and marked the beginning of the transition to democracy in Portugal.
Enjoy.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BmZ9TfB78g
Grândola, Vila Morena
Terra da fraternidade
O povo é quem mais ordena
Dentro de ti, ó cidade
Dentro de ti, ó cidade
O povo é quem mais ordena
Terra da fraternidade
Grândola, Vila Morena
Em cada esquina um amigo
Em cada rosto igualdade
Grândola, Vila Morena
Terra da fraternidade
Terra da fraternidade
Grândola, Vila Morena
Em cada rosto igualdade
O povo é quem mais ordena
À sombra duma azinheira
Que já não sabia a idade
Jurei ter por companheira
Grândola a tua vontade
Grândola a tua vontade
Jurei ter por companheira
À sombra duma azinheira
Que já não sabia a idade
Grandola, Vila Morena
brotherhood land
The people are the ones who order the most
Within you, O city
Within you, O city
The people are the ones who order the most
brotherhood land
Grandola, Vila Morena
In every corner a friend
On every face equality
Grandola, Vila Morena
brotherhood land
brotherhood land
Grandola, Vila Morena
On every face equality
The people are the ones who order the most
In the shade of an holm oak
Who no longer knew the age
I swore to have a companion
Grandola your will
Grandola your will
I swore to have a companion
In the shade of an holm oak
Who no longer knew the age
Thank you to my ´always helpful´ Portuguese friends, and the ´internet´ for this information.
