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The Legend of the Almond Blossoms – Algarve Portugal

The legend tells that when the Algarve was dominated by the Muslims, there was a young Muslim king who once fell in love with a beautiful blond and blue-eyed northern princess. The Muslim king asked the northern king to marry the princess. Although not very happy the northern king allowed the princess to marry the Muslim king and the princess became the queen of the Algarve.

They were happy for a long time, but one day the queen became very sad. She was so sad, that the king asked some wise men for advice as he didn’t know what to do comfort his beloved wife. Great balls and feasts were held in her honour, but she continued sad. Eventually, one day, crying her heart out, the queen confessed her husband that all her sadness was because she could no longer admire the beautiful white fields of her distant country covered with snow.

The great fear of losing his beloved wife led the king to have a great idea: he ordered everybody, from child to adult to plant as many almond trees as possible all around his kingdom. At the beginning of Spring the almond trees flourished.

The king asked his queen to go to the window and as she saw all the fields covered with a white blanket she felt very happy because she thought it was snow. All her sadness disappeared and from that time on, every year, at the beginning of Spring, she would go up the highest tower of the castle to see the almond trees covered with white blossoms, which reminded her of the white snow covered fields of her distant country.

This legends explains the reason why there are so many almond trees in the Algarve.

 

Quando o Algarve estava sobre o domínio dos mouros houve um rei que se apaixonou por uma bela princesa nórdica, loura de olhos azuis. O rei mouro fez então um acordo com o rei nórdico e pediu a mão da princesa em casamento. O rei nórdico contrariado, claro, acedeu ao pedido e a filha tornou-se rainha do Algarve.

Esta rainha era tratada com todas as mordomias no palácio, mas começou a andar sempre triste e a suspirar pelo palácio. De tal maneira que, o rei foi pedir conselhos aos sábios do reino. Houve muitas festas, muitos banquetes, tudo em sua honra, mas ela continuava triste. O rei conseguiu, enfim, um dia, que a princesa, em pranto e soluços, lhe confessasse que toda a sua tristeza era por não poder ver os campos cobertos de neve, como na sua terra.

O grande temor de perder a esposa amada sugeriu, então, ao rei uma boa ideia. Deu ordem para que em todo o Algarve se fizessem plantações de amendoeiras e, no princípio da Primavera, já elas estavam todas cobertas de flores.

A rainha ao ver todas as terras cobertas por um manto branco, ficou tão contente, que a tristeza desapareceu. Desde então, todos os anos, no início da Primavera, ela subia ao alto da torre para ver as amendoeiras cobertas de lindas flores brancas, que lhe lembravam os campos cobertos de neve, como na sua terra.

Esta lenda explica a razão pela qual existem tantas amendoeiras no Algarve.

Die Legende von den Mandelbäumen - Algarve, Portugal

 

Die Legende besagt, als Algarve von den Muslimen beherrscht wurde, sich ein junger muslimischer König in eine wunderschöne, blonde und blau-äugige nordische Prinzessin verliebte. Der muslimische König fragte den nordischen König ob er die Prinzessin heiraten dürfe. Obwohl der nordische König nicht sehr glücklich damit war, erlaubte er der Prinzessin den muslimischen König zu heiraten und sie wurde die Königin von Algarve.

 

Sie waren für eine lange Zeit sehr glücklich, aber eines Tages wurde die Königin sehr traurig. Sie war so traurig, dass der König ein paar alte, weise Männer um Rat fragte, da er nicht wusste was er tun sollte um seiner geliebte Frau wieder glücklich zu machen. Tolle Bälle und Feten wurden zu ihrer Ehre gehalten, aber sie war weiterhin unglücklich. Schließlich, eines Tages, als sie weinte, gestand sie ihrem Man, dass all ihre Traurigkeit davon kam, weil sie die schneebedeckten Felder ihrer weiten Heimat nicht mehr sehen konnte.

 

Die große Angst, seine geliebte Frau zu verlieren, führte den König zu einer tollen Idee: er orderte jeden Menschen, von Kind bis zum Erwachsen dazu an, so viele Mandelbäume im Königreich zu pflanzen wie es möglich ist. Am Anfang des Frühlings blühten die Mandelbäume.

 

Der König sagte seiner Frau, sie solle zum Fenster gehen und als sie die weißbedeckten Felder sah, war sie sehr glücklich, da sie dachte es wäre Schnee. Die Traurigkeit verschwand und von diesem Zeitpunkt an, würde sie jedes Jahr zum höchsten Punkt des Schlosses gehen um die Mandelbäume mit den weißen Blüten zu sehen, die sie an ihre alte Heimat erinnerten.

 

Diese Legende erklärt den Grund, warum es so viele Mandelbäume in Algarve gibt.

 

 

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Leģenda par mandeļu ziediem (Latvian version)

Leģenda stāsta, ka tad, kad Algarvē dominēja musulmaņi, reiz dzīvoja jauns musulmaņu karalis, kurš bija iemīlējis skaistu blondu un zilacainu ziemeļu princesi. Musulmaņu valdnieks lika ziemeļu karalim precēties ar princesi. Lai gan ziemeļu karalis par to īpaši nepriecājās, bet tomēr atļāva princesei apprecēties ar musulmaņu karali, un princese kļuva par Algarves karalieni.

Ilgu laiku viņi dzīvoja laimīgi, bet kādu dienu karaliene kļuva ļoti bēdīga. Viņai bija tik skumji, ka karalis lūdza kādam ļoti gudram vīram padomu, jo viņš nezināja, ko darīt, lai savu mīļoto sievu iepriecinātu. Viņai par godu pilī tika rīkotas lieliskas balles un svētki, bet viņa turpināja skumt. Galu galā, kādu dienu, izraudādama savu sirdi, karaliene atzinās savam vīram, ka viņa skumst tādēļ, ka vairs nevar apbrīnot skaistos, baltos laukus dzimtajā zemē, kas ziemā klāti ar sniegu.

Baidīdamies zaudēt savu mīļoto sievu, karalim radās lieliska ideja. Viņš pavēlēja visiem savas karaļvalsts iedzīvotājiem, lieliem un maziem, sastādīt tik daudz mandeļu koku, cik daudz vien iespējams. Pavasara sākumā mandeļkoki uzziedēja.

Karalis uzaicināja karalieni doties pie loga, un, karaliene, redzot visus laukus pārklātus ar baltu segu, jutās ļoti laimīga, jo viņa domāja, ka tas ir sniegs. Visas viņas skumjas pazuda, un no tā brīža katru gadu, pavasara sākumā, viņa kāpj visaugstākajā pils tornī, lai no augšas varētu redzēt mandeļu kokus, kas klāti ar baltiem ziediem un, kas viņai atgādināja par baltiem sniegotiem laukiem dzimtajā zemē.

Šī leģenda mums parāda, kāpēc Algarvē ir tik daudz mandeļu koki.

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Legend of the Lagoon of the Seven Cities – Azores Portugal

Once upon a time, a king and a queen ruled over a beautiful island in the middle of the ocean. The king and the queen had a beautiful daughter. The princess didn’t like to feel imprisoned inside the big walls of the castle where she lived. So, every day she went out for a walk in the fields. She loved the nature and the flowers, the sound of the birds and the sea on the horizon…

On one of these walks she heard a very beautiful sound of a flute and followed that sound. She hid behind a tree and watched a shepherd play his flute. Day after day she hid behind the same tree and listened to the shepherd playing this wonderful music. One day the shepherd saw her and they started talking to each other. The shepherd was the son of a farmer and was very simple and poor. Every day they met and talked for hours and soon they found out that they had a lot in common. Love emerged and every day they met they swore eternal love to each other.

But, in those times, princesses were promised to princes of nearby kingdoms, and so was our princess. She was about to marry a prince from a neighbouring kingdom. When the king found out about these meetings he forbade her daughter to meet the shepherd again. Filled with sadness, the princess asked her father to meet her beloved one one last time, which the king agreed upon.

It was then that, on a very grey day, the princess and the shepherd met for the last time. They remembered all the good times they had spent together and cried for hours because they could not bear the pain of being apart forever. They cried so much, that their tears gradually formed two beautiful lagoons. One of the lagoons with blue waters formed by the tears shed by the princess´s blue eyes and another lagoon with green waters by the tears wept by the shepherd’s green eyes.

According to the legend, although the two lovers couldn’t be together, the lagoons created by their tears remained together forever and shall never be apart.

 

Leģenda par septiņu pilsētu lagūnu (Azūru salas) (Latvian version)

Sensenos laikos, kāds karalis valdīja pār skaistu salu okeāna vidū. Viņam bija skaista meita. Princese jutās iesprostota pilī. Viņai tas ļoti nepatika. Tādēļ princese katru dienu devās pastaigā ārpus pils mūriem. Viņa mīlēja ziedus, putnu dziesmas un jūru aiz horizonta...

Vienā no pastaigām, princese izdzirdēja flautas skaņas. Viņai tās ļoti patika, tādēļ tā sekoja flautas melodijai. Princese, paslēpusies aiz koka, skatījās, ka kāds gans spēlē flautu. Dienu pēc dienas, princese devās pie šī koka, lai vērotu ganu un klausītos tā radītajā melodijā. Kādu dienu gans pamanīja princesi un viņi abi sāka runāt. Gans bija nabadzīgs fermera dēls. Katru dienu tie tikās un stundām runāja un saprata, ka tiem ir daudz kopīga. Bija uzplaukusi jauna mīlestība, princese un gans, viens otram apsolīja mūžīgu mīlestību.

Tajos laikos princesēm bija jāprec kāds no apkārtējo karaļvalstu prinčiem, arī mūsu princesei bija šāds liktenis. Viņai bija jāprecās ar blakus dzīvojošo princi. Kad karalis uzzināja par meitas un gana satikšanos, viņš aizliedza meitai satikties ar ganu. Princese bija ļoti noskumusi un viņa jautāja tēvam, lai atļauj viņais satikt savu mīlestību vēl pēdējo reizi. Karalis piekrita.

Diena, kurā bija princeses un gana pēdējā tikšanās, bija ļoti pelēka un drūma. Tie atcerējās visus skaistos mirkļus, kas pavadīti kopā. Viņi stundām ilgi raudāja, jo nespēja šķirties viens no otra. Viņi raudāja tik ilgi, līdz viņu asaras izveidoja divas skaistas lagūnas. Viena no lagūnām- zilā lagūna, bija princeses zilo acu pieraudāta, taču otra- zaļā lagūna, simbolizēja gana zaļo acu asaras.

Lai gan pēc leģendas šie mīlnieki nevarēja būt kopā, lagūnas simbolizē to kopā būšanu, un šajā veidā tie vienmēr būs kopā.

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Legend of the Seven Hills of Lisbon – Lisbon Portugal

In an age lost in time, even before being occupied by Romans and Greeks, and even Phoenicians, the city of Lisbon was a kingdom called Ofiusa, governed by giant serpents. Unlike the other elements of the government, which were normal serpents, the queen was different. She possessed a woman’s head and torso but her legs were replaced by a serpent’s tail. Even though, in her inmost, she had the inherent characteristics of a serpent, she was nevertheless, a very gentle and gracious being, with a huge power of seduction, which she used to attract everyone who reached her realm.

One day, in his long voyages, Ulisses and his companions went through the River Tagus and, enchanted by her beauty, they decided to anchor.

The queen of serpents, quickly tried to seduce and conquer Ulisses but she wasn’t able to, because he was smarter. He pretended to love her, so that she could satisfy his greater wish: letting his companions land so that they could raise a city.

After accomplishing what he wanted, Ulisses called his companions who took building materials out of the boat and founded a wonderful city – Lisbon.

One day, Ulisses and his companions decided to head towards another land. In a very early morning, the queen was still sleeping, Ulisses was able to deceive her and escaped to high sea.

Left alone, she was furious and tried to pursue her loved one Ulisses, considering him a great traitor. Furious, she extended her serpent body, distorting herself and, with the haste and rage, she formed seven saliences that, according to the legend, gave rise to the Seven Hills of Lisbon: Hill of São Vicente, Hill of Santo André, Hill of São Jorge, Hill of Santana, Hill of São Roque, Hill of Chagas and Hill of Santa Catarina. All of them continue to make their way towards the Tagus in search for eternal LOVE!