''Pão-por-Deus'' (, "Bread for God") is the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

tradition of

souling A soul cake, also known as a soulmass-cake, is a small round cake (though they more resemble in appearance and texture a shortbread biscuit, with sweet spices) which is traditionally made for Halloween, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day to comme ...

celebrated all over Portugal, named for the soulmass-cakes given to the poor on

All Saints Day All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the church, whether they are know ...

, typically by children and youth. Names for the custom vary through different regions of the country, for instance, around

Leiria Leiria (; cel-x-proto, ɸlāryo) is a city and municipality in the Central Region of Portugal. It is the 2nd largest city in that same region, with a municipality population of 128,640 (as of 2021) in an area of . It is the seat of its own distr ...

it is known as "Dia do Bolinho" ("Cookie Day").

Origins

There are records of the day of ''Pão-de-Deus'' in the 15th century. On 1 November 1755 in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

, after the vast majority of the city's residents lost everything to the Great Lisbon earthquake the survivors had to ask for this bread in the neighbouring towns.

Customs

From early in the morning (8 or 9 am) children meet together and walk around the neighborhood, knock at all doors and local stores and say "Pão-por-Deus" to the adults they meet. People at home give them small gifts such as broas (small bread-like cakes flavored heavily with anise and nuts), chocolates, candy, nuts, fruit, or in some cases, money. At the local stores the offers are different. A store may give the children treats or a sample of a product they sell:

baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...

s give a little

bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

, fruit stalls give some

chestnuts The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelated ...

, and so on. In the

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

, the children are given a cake called "caspiada" during this ritual begging. The cakes have the shape of the top of a skull. The Pão-de-Deus or Santoro is the bread, or offering, that is given to the dead, the Molete or Samagaio (also called sabatina, raiva da criança (child's rage)) is the bread, or offering, that is given when a child is born. ctas / International Colloquium on Luso-Brazilian Studies - Volume 1 - Página 162/ref>

Rhyme

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pao-de-Deus Portuguese traditions Halloween food

Origins

Customs

Rhyme

See also

References