Everything about Names in Portugal

The registration of individuals dates back from ancient times...  However, the registration of names would be applied only to the few who held the title of citizen (free man). 


After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Catholic Church became responsible for the registration of individuals and their titles, continuing the classic tradition of recording events that involved only wealthy people, be it ecclesiastical, dynastic or nobility.


It was only in early nineteenth-century when civil registry as we know it  was created with the advent of the Napoleonic Code of 1804.    All the territories under the rule of Napolean were forced to adopt the new code and this has affected the power of the Catholic Church.  

Civil registration in Portugal is officially established by the "Code of Civil Registration" of February 18, 1911.    On April 20, 1911, the "Law of Separation of Church and State" radicalized the secular state and determined that all church records (baptisms, marriages and deaths) prior to 1911 had a legal statuses. 

Registrar Office in Portugal

In general, there is a Registrar Office in each Portuguese County.  In Lisbon we find the Central Registrar which is responsible for records involving Portuguese citizens abroad and the management of any other proceeding that relates to the Portuguese people.




How people are named in Portugal


The introduction of foreign names by nationals, even graphically adapted to the Portuguese language, has been prohibited by law. For parents wishing to register their children with unusual names, an authorization will be needed issued by the legal body.   This is thought to prevent excesses of foreign vocabulary and to avoid pronunciation difficulties in the language.    The Portuguese government regulates what proper nouns (names) are admitted or
not in the  registration of children in Portugal.   For this, the government holds official name lists to which the parents can refer  when choosing the names for their kids.  
See the full list in here: 

Official List of names in  Portugal 

Where the Portuguese names come from? 


The Portuguese names come from Latin, Greek, German, Hebrew, Celtic, and Arabic, mainly.
Latin:  António, Mário, Cláudia, Júlia, Flávio, Diana, Marcelo, Caio, Octávio, Beatriz, Vitória, Cecília, Tércio.
Greek: Dinis, Alexandre, Filipe, André, Filomena, Irene, Catarina, Sofia, Margarida, Jorge.
Celtic: Viriato, Artur, Brígida, Fiona, Viviana.
Arabic:  Fátima, Soraia, Aida, Zuleica, Leila.
Hebrew: Isabel, Maria, João, Manuel, Susana, Elias, Miguel, Gabriel, Mateus, Matias, Rute.
Germanic: Alberto, Ivone, Matilde, Rodrigo, Alice, Ema, Leopoldo, Ricardo, Afonso, Fernando, Frederico, Carlos, Luís.
Basque:  Xavier.
Slavic: Estanislau, Olga, Vera.
Finno-Ugric: Átila.
Persian: Ciro.
Italian: Zita, Rita


Examples of traditional Portuguese names...  


In Portugal, traditional names like Mariana, José, Michel, Catarina, Jane, João, Felipe, Pedro, Antônio, Beatriz or Gonçalo are very popular. 
Less historical names were gradually absorbed and have also become very common as Catia, Sandra, Marisa, Fabio, Lara, Bruno, Vanessa and Rubem. 
The names commonly used in the Middle Ages, like Sancho, Egas, Paio, Raimundo, Fernão, Guterre, Mécia, Ximena, Urraca or Sancha are about to disappear from the national onomastics.

Do they have the same rules in Brazil? 

"Can you spell it, please?"
"Washington"

In Brazil you will find several types of names from many different roots such as Iara, Iracema, Jacira, Moacir, of Amerindian origin; Ali, Samira, a Syrian-Lebanese origin; Pietro Paola, of Italian origin; Washington, Lincoln, of Anglo-American, or corruptions of foreign names such as Uóxintom (Washington), Maicon (Michael) or Uéslei - Wesley.    

You will also find names like Manuel and Luiz (old spelling, currently not accepted in Portugal) or Manuel and Luis (correctly spelled).  

There is no "official names' list" in Brazil, therefore one can find names which are difficult to pronounce or even insulting (to its owner). 

Nowadays the registrar official does not allow parents to register their kids using names that will cause offence and embarrassment to the individual.  

Check this list for some examples of names given to individuals in Brazil that can cause offence or embarrassment: 

Brazilian weird names

The rules for First Names in Portugal: 

a) The proper names must be Portuguese. If foreign, it must be adapted graphically and phonetically to the Portuguese language.  This process is called "aportuguesamento"
b) The spelling of proper names must follow the official Portuguese spelling at the time of registration.
c) The name can not raise doubts about the gender of the individual.
d)  Brothers can not be given the same name, unless one of them is no longer alive.
e) Foreign proper names are only allowed in its original form if the person is a foreigner or born abroad, if you have another nationality in addition to Portuguese, if any of your parents is a foreigner or if any of your parents have another nationality in addition to Portuguese.

What are the most popular names in Portugal nowadays? 

The list of the most popular names last year caused no surprise the Portuguese people.   Portugal remains a country made up of Marias (5040 registered there), but not José.  Considered as a trend since  2011,  the most popular male name in the Country was Rodrigo with 2541registrations.  

But there are those who did not live happily with the name given by their parents and has, therefore, appealed to the registrar for change, like that of a Portuguese man of Chinese origin who this year changed his name because it meant in Portuguese "yes to all proposals."  

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Some people think the Portuguese Rules for names are not democratic.   "Too much intrusion of the State in our lives", says some.    Others believe this is a necessary measure to protect the national language from foreign influences.

In one hand you have the state ruling how you should name your kids, in the other hand you have a huge amount of foreign words being used in daily situations, such as "T-shirt", "villa", "snack bar" etc.   Check the table below for some examples.   

These are some of the many English words used in Portugal. 

The words in blue and italics are alternative expressions in Portuguese for the English words. The ones with no correspondent are the ones that are used in their English form. 

Palavras inglesas	Aportuguesamento
Stop	Parar
Football	Futebol
T-shirt	Camisola
CD
Rock
Shampoo	Champô
Tennis	Ténis
Jazz
Pop
Basketball	Basquetebol
Bus	Autocarro
Shopping Centre	Centro comercial
Sweatshirt	Camisolão
Goal	Golo
Made in...	Feito em...
Penalty	Penalti
Aftershave
CD-ROM
Walkman
Spray	Vaporizador
Snack bar	Café / Pastelaria
Donut
Volleyball	Voleibol
Golf	Golfe
Heavy metal
Ketchup
Sandwich	Sandes / Sanduíche

   

Research Sources:

http://junior.te.pt/escolinha/anosLista.jsp?id=212&p=5&d=ing&t=apr

http://www.transparent.com/br/ingles/intermediario/palavras-em-ingles-usadas-em-portugues

http://www.publico.pt/Sociedade/portugal-um-pais-de-marias-e-rodrigos-1544015

http://www.irn.mj.pt/sections/inicio

http://algunsnomesestranhos.blogspot.co.uk/

The beautiful "Maia" tradition in Portugal

The name of the fifth month of the Julian calendar, the month of May (in Latin, Maius and Maio, in Portuguese language) probably had its origin in the word  Maia, the mother of Mercury.


In Roman tradition,  Maia  personified the awakening of nature in the spring and is also the goddess of fertility and the projection of vital energy.   Maia is symbol of spring.   

In Portugal it is a tradition to decorate the doors of houses and windows and other places with common gorse flowers.  The tradition requires that the locks and latches on all windows and external doors of the houses are decorated with branches of gorse in bloom, called "Maia". Farmers should also be vigilant and place the flowers inside the animal corrals.
If doors or windows do not hold a branch of Maia,  it is believed that "the devil will come and suck the blood of those who dwell there."

This is a very old tradition  throughout Portugal, especially in the north.  Some scholars say it has to do with pagan rites associated with spring and fertility of the land and animals.  There are also those who say that this tradition may have religious roots as as story goes that Our Lady, during her the flight into Egypt, with Baby Jesus and Saint Joseph, had sowed gorse seeds along the way so that they could find their way back when returning from there. 

Another legend goes that by the time of Passover, when Jesus was in Jerusalem, the Jews marked with gorse branches the house where he was staying so that the soldiers could identify it later on and arrest him.  However, on the next day, all doors and windows of the city were decorated with flowers of gorse, making it impossible for the soldiers to find Jesus's location.  

In the Alentejo region, with particular emphasis on Beja, the "Maia" are girls who dress in white, adorned with flowers in their heads. They gather on the streets and sit on chairs  adorned with roses while other elder girls carrying small trays in hand, ask passers-by : "Sir, give some money for the  Mayan."  -  “Meu senhor, um tostãozinho para a maia"






In the Algarve, in almost all the houses it is customary to get a big man made of straw, rye, bran and rags and dress it in  white and then surround it with flowers. It is the "Maia" placed in full view of passers by.

This habit of putting yellow gorse at the doors, windows and balconies is not lost, as well as the enduring habit of making straw dolls.   However, the tradition of girls dressed in Maia has become rare nowadays.  However, on the first day of May, there are other traditional rituals such as eating chestnuts with the aim of cast the evil away.  

Some nice vocabulary to prepare you for the Maia Rituals: 

Flower - flor 

Gorse - giestas

Bunch - ramalhete

Door - porta

Window - janela

chestnuts -  amêndoa

Spring - primavera

Easter in Portugal. Have you ever eaten folar?

Almonds and Easter Bunny Bag 

Eggs and almonds, the Folar (a special Easter Bread (recipe at the end of the article), the Easter Bunny, the whole family together for a special lunch and for some, the Easter Sunday mass. This is how many Portuguese families celebrate Easter.Before Easter, during Lent, the Portuguese avoid eating meat during Fridays for 40 days in respect for the memory of the death of Christ, for it was on a Friday that Jesus was crucified. But on Easter Sunday as we celebrate the feast of the resurrection, the meat returns to Portuguese tables. Walking  the Portuguese Caminho of Santiago da Compostela during the Holy Week, is becoming increasingly popular among the Portuguese. This year, the Espaço Jacobeus Association has distributed 500  credentials to Portuguese pilgrims visiting the tomb of the Apostle James in Compostela.  You can see here more details about this adventure. In Portugal, Easter is celebrated up and down the Country , but it surely has a greater importance in more traditional villages.   There, people will keep their houses very tidy and clean and will be dressed up, waiting for the 'compasso', the visit of the local priest who comes to bless the home and those who live there.   In some villages, it is still customary for the priest and his acolytes to carry a cross, which all the villagers kiss, asking for a blessing.Traditionally, you will find in all homes the traditional almonds and sweets, accompanied by a glass of port wine or liquor as a touch of hospitality to the priest and his companions.  These are traditions that have unfortunately dissipated in the hectic life in the big cities.
In many villages people still celebrate Holy Week with processions of candles at night, or theatrical performances of popular events of Christ's death.

The Folar Bread

The tradition of FOLAR, the Easter Bread.

The Folar Bread is a typical  present given during Easter in Portugal. It is this bread that godparents used to give their godchildren at Easter to break the fasting period.  
The bread was also seen as a sign of affluence, during the compasso, the priest would collect the Folar from the houses he visited. . Not forgetting, of course, that being made of wheat, it represents the basic element that makes food, food!Most dictionaries flag the origin of the word 'Folar'  from the Latin "floralis".  The authors suggest the Germanic 'flado' which means 'honey cake' as the probable root for the name Folar or, as some other authors claim,  Folar comes from the French 'poularde'.   

Folar is defined as a cake-shaped dough nesting an orange-colored egg on the top.

The bread, which is also known as cake, symbolizes the nest, and the eggs, the  generation of a new life, fertility.  When you present someone with a Folar bread, you are wishing this person happiness and prosperity.  

In the Portuguese villages, the bread is a very rustic bakery product whereas in the cities, it is a product of "pastelaria" with some improvement of flavor, colour, texture and presentation. and as with everything in Portugal, when it comes to cooking, each region of the country will feature its Folar prepared in a different way.   As a guide, grandmothers would prepare them using wheat flour (well sifted), a dozen eggs per each quilo of flour, butter, yeasts, olive oil, salt.   You may use as a filling the meat of beef, lamb, chicken, sausages etc. See below one - of the many - recipe for a traditional Folar Bread.
The Folar does not require much ingenuity, just some patience (it takes about 2 ½ hours until done). You can opt for a traditional bread, or make a typical Transmontano recipe (stuffed with sausage typical of the region) or make a Catanhede recipe; the dough is like the traditional version, but the centre  has Olive Oil and the shape of the bread is slightly different.

You will need the following ingredients: 

500g flour, 

125g sugar, 

125g of butter, 

4 eggs, 

25g of baker's yeast, 

0.5 dl of milk, 

lemon zest  

salt to taste  

3-4 boiled eggs.

Then you lay hands on the dough. Sift the flour, dissolve yeast inwarm milk Baker. Place, then the flour in a bowl and combine all the ingredients in the center. Knead well until dough is smooth and homogeneous. Cover with cling film and let rise (doubling its volume).

Sift the flour, dissolve the yeast (if using biological yeast) in warm milk.  Put the flour in a bowl and combine all the ingredients in the centre. Knead well until dough is smooth and homogeneous. Cover with cling film and let rise (doubling its volume).
Cut then into pieces of 400 grams each and form a ball and leave them to rest for 30 minutes. Set some dough aside, wrapped in cling film, to form the strips that will "hold" the boiled egg - see the picture below.  Add some milk to a beaten egg and use this mixture to brush the dough.  Add the boiled eggs (whole!) in the center of the dough, pressing them down gently.

Brush and bake the dough in a preheated oven at 200 ° C.   Do not get distracted.  After 15 minutes, it is necessary to lower the oven temperature to 180 ° C.    Bake it for more 10 minutes.   It is ready!Bom apetite!




Want to read more?  Find below some nice websites on the theme: Sources: http://viadeiportoghesi.blogspot.co.uk/2008/03/pscoa-em-portugal-por-marta-sofia.html ,  http://www.dn.pt/inicio/portugal/interior.aspx?content_id=1192678 , http://praca.porto24.pt/2012/03/30/aprendemos-a-fazer-um-folar-tradicional-e-contamos-lhe-tudo/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=aprendemos-a-fazer-um-folar-tradicional-e-contamos-lhe-tudo 

Portuguese: 4th easiest language to learn?

What makes a language easy?  A simple and logical grammar engineering?  The number of words?  Pronunciation?  Similarities between the new language and your native language?  

Does it depend on what native language the student speaks?   So, for Spanish speakers, learning Portuguese is easier than it may be when learning English?  Is this true? 

The Editor of linguim.com  listed Portuguese as the 4th easiest language to be learned by an English speaker.   


Although there is no hard evidence provided by the editor to support this claim, his/her thoughts on the theme are very interesting:  

"Portuguese is yet another romance language that shares similarities with English, yet contains fewer prepositions. However, Portuguese prepositions do not always mimic their English counterparts, so a slight learning curve is in store. Learning to pronounce Portuguese words is usually easy for English speakers; however some of the vowel sounds may take some getting used to. In many languages learning how to ask a question in proper context is difficult, but posing a question in Portuguese is as easy as speaking the words. Individuals that have already learned some Spanish may find it even easier to learn Portuguese.  Most people rank Portuguese as easier to learn than French, but not as easy as Italian or Spanish. It is important to note that there are two very different variations of Portuguese – Brazilian and European. Of the languages on this list, Portuguese shares the most similarities with Spanish, but most agree that Portuguese pronunciations are more difficult."

One thing I tell my students when they start taking Portuguese Lessons with me is that once they feel comfortable with the Portuguese language, they will notice that most of the words in Spanish will not seem so unknown.

Spanish and Portuguese are "sister" languages,  although Portuguese pronunciation swings more towards French and Catalan whereas Spanish pronunciation will be closer to Italian language.    Portuguese has a wider number of phonemes (the sound units in a language) than Spanish does, therefore, it is easier for a Portuguese speaker to understand a Spanish speaker than vice-versa.   


Doubt it?  


So ask a native Spanish speaker to say this pair: "meu avô; minha avó"  and then, ask a native Portuguese speaker to do the same.  Can you spot the difference?   If the Spanish speaker likes football, ask him/her to say the name of the best footballer in all times.   No, not Maradona!  It is Pelé!   ;p  Now ask a Portuguese speaker.  Pay attention to how the "é", in Pelé, will be pronounced.   These are just some quick examples, of course. 




Spanish and Portuguese also share loads of similar words, the cognates, but with different meaning, the famous false-cognates, or, "false friends": 
My favourite false-friend is the word: "esquisito"  ---  The most common meaning of Esquisito in Portuguese is "weird", "strange" , in Spanish (written - exquisito) it means "excellent", "delicious".   So you can imagine what a confusion it is if you decide to compliment the food your Portuguese host has prepared to you by saying: "Oh, que exquisito!"


Check some false-cognates Portuguese -Spanish below:  


                        Portuguese                                                 Spanish

Ninho: bird nest

Niño: child, boy

Engraçado: funny, gracious

Engrasado: greasy

Borracha: eraser(rubber)

Borracha: drunk

Esquisito: rare, weird, strange	Exquisito: excellent, delicious
Fechar:to close, shut	Fechar: to write the date
Ganância: ambition	Ganancia: profit, earning
Oi: Hi	Hoy: today
Latido: the "barking" of a dog	Latido: heart beat
Ligar:to call on the phone, to link, match	Ligar: to flirt
Logro: cheat	Logro: success
Mala: valise.	Mala: má.
Oficina: mechanics, garage	Oficina: office
Osso: bones	Oso: bear
Polvo: octopus	Polvo: dust
Prender: to deter, arrest	Prender: to lit
Rato: mouse	Rato: short period of time
Reto: straight (no curves)	Reto: challenge
Risco: danger	Risco: cliff
Saco: Purse, Sack, Bag	Saco: jacket (with a tie)
Salada:salad	Salada: salty
Solo: ground, earth, soil	Solo: alone, on your own
Taça: special glass for wines	Tasa: tax

Source: http://transportuguese.com/blog_traducao/algumas-diferencas-entre-o-espanhol-e-o-portugues/

Can you identify some English words in there as well?  Like, "salad" for salada, in Portuguese? So now you know that "salada" means salty, in Spanish.  


Next post, I will explore a little bit the differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese. Don't miss it! :)  


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