The calendar said yesterday was Portugal Day, the country's most important national holiday. The reality is that every day this month is Portugal's day in this part of Switzerland.
The young, vibrant and fast-growing community of Swiss-based Portuguese leaves little doubt who is having the best European Championship party.
Into the early hours of Sunday, towns and cities up and down the Lake Geneva region rang to the sound of blaring car horns and jubilant chanting as red-and-green-clad families celebrated Portugal’s stylish 2-0 victory over Turkey.
Yesterday, they celebrated Luis de Camoes, their home country’s most beloved poet, who died on June 10, 1580.
And today, their devotions will return to Cristiano Ronaldo, the skillful Manchester United winger who is probably the world’s best soccer player and definitely their poster boy.
When the Portuguese team arrived in Switzerland a convoy of cars and motorcycles trailed the team bus from Geneva airport to the players’ hotel in Neuchatel, where a noisy welcoming party of 10,000 fans had gathered.
A similar frenzy attended the two squad training sessions opened to the public at the Maladiere stadium, attracting capacity crowds of 12,000 spectators each paying 16 Swiss francs (US$16) to get close to the practice action.
“It’s just incredible we are getting a chance to see our national team here,” said 21-year-old Marlene da Silva as she prepared to watch the session on Sunday.
“There are so many of us here and it’s wonderful they are doing this near where we live. We are just loving the atmosphere. It’s not always like this in Switzerland,” she said.
Celia Costa, 31, was wearing the red, green and yellow colors of the Portuguese flag during the practice session. She has been living in Lausanne for 20 years and was clear about her national loyalty.
“There is no doubt at all, we are Portuguese and there is no changing that, no matter where we live,” Costa said.
Sunday’s practice was the centerpiece of an early start to Portugal Day festivities in Neuchatel, organized by the embassy in Bern with exhibitions of traditional dance and costumes.
“It was an extraordinary event,” Julio Jose Vilela, Portugal’s consul-general in Geneva said. “People are using the fact the team is here to express their feelings for their country in a very colorful and enjoyable way.”
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