What's the reason of "Saudade"?

Question

Hello Portuguese friends!

I was in Geneva last Saturday and watched them win against Turkey. As a Turk, I would like to congratulate you for the well deserved victory... Your fans were adorable. Some of them came to us and excused themselves for winning against us.

My question is not about the joy of the Portuguese but about their 'Saudade'.

Can you explain the background and the reason of this typical (?) Portuguese mood?

Many thanks!

Answer 1

good answer, I couldn't say it better myself

Answer 2

Saudade is a word without translation in any language, the closest definition would be a mixture of longing+regret+melancholy combined with a kind of "pleasant" or comfort giving sadness. It's part of our identity especially since the portuguese explorations of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, thousands of young portuguese sailors would go out to sea and the families didn't knew if they would ever saw them again.

You should listen to the portuguese national music, Fado, it's the most pure expression of saudade there is. Listen to Mariza, Madredeus,  Ana Moura, Mísia, you'll get the idea even if you don't understand the lyrics.

Football wise, I like the turkish team because they are usually very combative and work well as a team, even if they don't have as many "stars" as Portugal (it's a whole lot better to have a solid team of average players than a discoordinated  group of super-stars).

It's not over for you guys though, you can beat Switzerland for sure and if Portugal wins against the Czechs both Portugal and Turkey will pass...