Traditions and cultures that enchant
Taking a blessing
This tradition is highly respected in Cape Verde. The origin is not known for sure, but out of respect for their elders, young people and adults should always bless the elderly as a form of greeting. From an early age, children are taught to take blessings and the people encourage this beautiful traditional practice.
Because when you do that, you’re blessing good things for the younger ones, like “God make you a good girl or a good boy” or “God help you”. Although many people do this out of force of habit, this act symbolizes the good that older people wish younger people.
Tie the head or cloth around the waist
This practice largely symbolizes Cape Verdean culture and the traditional way in which Cape Verdeans dress. In the past, this habit was very much in practice. Practically all the women, but only the older ones, covered their heads with a scarf and made a very characteristic braid with two “grodes” sticking out. In addition, the older women tied the cloth around their waists.
Nowadays, although this habit has fallen into disuse, you can still find people with these habits, mostly old people. Some mothers still cultivate the habit of tying their children’s heads, although it’s more to preserve their hairstyles so that they last longer.
Cooking over wood
Although many households have stoves, a large proportion of Cape Verdeans still cook with wood. This practice is somewhat linked to poverty, as many families cannot afford to cook every day on a gas stove. However, when there is an important party or at least when you want to cook cachupa, many people choose to cook it over wood.
For this reason, firewood gathering is very common in the country. Which is part of the whole wood-fired cooking process. The wood-burning stove is made with m3 pedals or less so that you can place the pot on top.
Fogo is lit using firewood that is placed between the “gaps” in the stones and in the middle some plastic things are placed and the fire is lit with a match or oil. During the cooking process, you have to blow or shake the fire from time to time so that it doesn’t go out.
Although the cooking process isn’t as quick as it could be, wood-fired food has a unique and distinctive flavor that appeals to many people’s taste buds, which is why people aren’t so quick to abandon this practice.
Wedding parties
When you get married in Cape Verde, the party is “hard”. If the wedding is traditional, even better. What’s not to be missed are the lively evenings on the eve of the wedding. The batucadeiras are the special guests to sing and liven up the evening.
The batucadeiras sing and enchant all night long until dawn and the bride and groom are invited to dance a little. Anyone who wants to take part in the dance can, and the excitement never stops. However, many just watch and clap their hands to follow the rhythm of the drumming.
Everyone dances in their own way and under the watchful eyes of the people watching the drumming, the evening is simply captivating. People love it!
It’s important to say that this tradition is very present in the country and you can’t help but love it. The songs are sometimes adapted to the bride and groom, and everyone who lives in the area joins in this “party”, so to speak, to boost the joy of the bride and groom and their families for the big day, which is almost always for everyone, and there’s no charge.
