Minho Province in the context of "Portuguese culture"

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⭐ Core Definition: Minho Province

Minho (Portuguese: [ˈmiɲu]) was a former province in Portugal, established in 1936 and dissolved in 1976. It consisted of 23 municipalities, with its capital in the city of Braga. Today, the area would include the districts of Braga and Viana do Castelo. Minho has substantial Celtic influences and shares many cultural traits with neighbouring Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The region was part of the Roman Province and early Germanic medieval Kingdom of Gallaecia. Historical remains of Celtic Minho include Briteiros Iron Age Hillfort, the largest Gallaecian native stronghold in the Entre Douro e Minho region, in north Portugal. The University of Minho, founded in 1973, takes its name from the former province.

Although the province no longer exists, its name is still commonly used to refer to the region, as its origin vastly predates its official institution as an administrative region, and its people have a unique culture and way to be.

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👉 Minho Province in the context of Portuguese culture

The culture of Portugal designates the cultural practices and traditions of the Portuguese people. It is rooted on the interactions between many different civilizations that inhabited the area during the past millennia. From prehistoric cultures, to its Pre-Roman civilizations (such as the Lusitanians, the Gallaeci, the Celtici, and the Cynetes, amongst others), passing through its contacts with the Phoenician-Carthaginian world, the Roman period (see Hispania, Lusitania and Gallaecia), the Germanic invasions of the Suebi, Buri (see Kingdom of the Suebi) and Visigoths (see Visigothic Kingdom), Viking incursions, Sephardic Jewish settlement, and finally, the Moorish Umayyad invasion of Hispania and the subsequent expulsion during the Reconquista, all have influenced the country's culture and history.

The name of Portugal itself reveals much of the country's early history, stemming from the Roman name Portus Cale, a Latin name meaning "Port of Cale" (Cale likely is a word of Celtic origin - Cailleach-Bheur her other name; the Mother goddess of the Celtic people as in Calais, Caledonia, Beira. She was the one who, with a hammer created mountains and valleys; the one who hid in stones and trees - Mother nature), later transformed into Portucale, and finally into Portugal, which emerged as a county of the Kingdom of León (see County of Portugal) and became an independent kingdom in 1139. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal was a major economic, political, and cultural power, its global empire stretching from the Americas, to Africa, and various regions of Asia and Oceania.

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Minho Province in the context of Portuguese province

The term "provinces" (Portuguese: províncias) has been used throughout history to identify regions of continental Portugal. Current legal subdivisions of Portugal do not coincide with the provinces, but several provinces, in their 19th- and 20th-century versions, still correspond to culturally relevant, strongly self-identifying categories. They include:

The islands of Azores and Madeira were never called "provinces".

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Minho Province in the context of Guimarães

Guimarães (European Portuguese pronunciation: [ɡimɐˈɾɐ̃jʃ] ) is a city and municipality located in northern Portugal, in the district of Braga.Its historic town centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001, in recognition for being an "exceptionally well-preserved and authentic example of the evolution of a medieval settlement into a modern town" in Europe. The Nicolinas are the city's main festivities.

Guimarães is referred as the capital of the Ave Subregion (one of the most industrialised subregions in the country), and located in the historical Minho Province. The municipality has a population of 156,789 inhabitants according to the most recent data of 2023 in an area of 240.95 square kilometres (93.03 sq mi). The current mayor is Ricardo Araújo. Guimarães, along with Maribor, Slovenia, was the European Capital of Culture in 2012. Guimarães also received the 2026 European Green Capital Award.

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Minho Province in the context of Braga

Braga (European Portuguese: [ˈbɾaɣɐ], also [ˈbɾagɐ] ; Proto-Celtic: *Bracara) is a city and a municipality, capital of the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality had a resident population of 201,583 inhabitants (in 2023), representing the seventh largest municipality in Portugal by population. Its area is 183.40 km. Its agglomerated urban area extends to the Cávado River and is the third most populated urban area in Portugal, behind Lisbon and Porto Metropolitan Areas.

It is host to the oldest Portuguese archdiocese, the Archdiocese of Braga of the Catholic Church and it is the seat of the Primacy of the Spains. During the Roman Empire, then known as Bracara Augusta, the settlement was the capital of the Roman province of Gallaecia and would later become the capital of the Kingdom of the Suebi, one of the first territories to separate from the Roman Empire in the 5th century. Inside the city there is also a castle tower that can be visited. Nowadays, Braga is among the most noted entrepreneurial and technological centers of the country, as well as a major hub for inland Northern Portugal, and it is an important stop on the Portuguese Way path of the Road of St James. The city hosted two games of the UEFA Euro 2004 and was the European Youth Capital in 2012.

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Minho Province in the context of European Region of Gastronomy

The European Region of Gastronomy is a title given every year to one or more cities or regions in Europe. The title is awarded by the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism (IGCAT).

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Minho Province in the context of Barcelos, Portugal

Barcelos (Portuguese pronunciation: [bɐɾˈsɛluʃ] ) is a city and a municipality in Braga District in the Minho Province, in the north of Portugal. The city of Barcelos had 26,042 inhabitants in 2021, while the municipality had 116,959 inhabitants in 2024 across an area of 378.90 square kilometres (146.29 mi). With 61 parishes, it is the municipality with the highest number of parishes in the country. Barcelos lies on the Portuguese Way, a Christian pilgrimage route connecting to the Camino de Santiago.

It is known for the Rooster of Barcelos and for its textile and adobe industries, as well as its horseback riding events and "figurado" style of pottery, which are comical figurines with accentuated features of farmers, folk musicians, and nativity scene characters. Barcelos is part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a Crafts and Folk Art City.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Portuguese province ← Guimarães ← Portuguese culture ← Braga ← European Region of Gastronomy ← Culture of Portugal ← Bracara Augusta ← Barcelos, Portugal
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Province → Portugal → Municipalities of Portugal → Braga → Braga District → Viana do Castelo District → Celts → Galicia (Spain) → Roman Empire → Middle Ages → Gallaecia → Citânia de Briteiros → Entre Douro e Minho → University of Minho →