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What is Fado?

12th June 2019 By Faro Travel Team

If you are travelling around Portugal, you are likely to come across fado – especially if you are spending your holiday in Lisbon. If you aren’t sure what fado is, don’t worry. Keep reading to find out more.

Fado itself is a unique type of folk music said to have first been played in Lisbon. Traditional fado features guitars and mandolins, as well as a singer known as a fadista. The lyrics are usually mournful, with themes of love, loss, death and sadness.

However, fado isn’t always so melancholy, with some fadistas adding in a bit of humour to spice up their act. Interested in finding out more? Here are a few key facts about fado…

Fado is from the 19th century…

The history of fado can be traced to Lisbon in the 19th century, although nobody is certain of the exact year it began. Most records trace its origins to the 1820s. Rui Vieira Nery, a fado historian, once noted, “The only reliable information on the history of Fado was orally transmitted and goes back to the 1820s and 1830s at best. But even that information was frequently modified within the generational transmission process that made it reach us today.”

There are two kinds of fado…

Depending on where you are in Portugal, you might hear a different kind of fado. There are two types, one that is found in Lisbon and another in the city of Coimbra. The Lisbon style is the most popular and more well-known across Portugal.

Coimbra fado is linked to academic traditions and has a more classical style. It is also exclusively sung by men, and both the singers and musicians of the Coimbra style dress in the academic outfit of the University of Coimbra: a dark robe, cape and leggings. It is typically sung at night, usually in city squares and streets.

Interestingly, according to tradition, if you are applauding a fado in Coimbra you should cough as if you were clearing your throat. If you are enjoying a performance in Lisbon, you would applaud as you normally would by clapping your hands.

Fado is on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list…

On 27 November 2011, fado was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. It is one of two Portuguese music traditions added to the list. The other is Cante Alentejano, a genre based on vocal music that was added to the list in 2014.

Find out more before you fly…

If you are looking to find out more about Faro and the rest of Portugal, take a look at our handy area guides. We have also written about stunning places in Portugal that are a little further away from Faro, and which you can read about here and here. Our website is kept up to date with news and information on Faro airport, including live flight details for arrivals and departures so you can find out everything you need to know before you travel.

Filed Under: Information and Advice

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