The 4th edition of 'Tradições' – an EDP initiative that seeks to revive and support ancestral practices and traditions across the country – has extended the applications deadline until September 15. Projects wishing to participate in one of the largest sponsorship programs aimed at Portuguese folk culture have yet another opportunity to request funding and promote the traditions of their municipality.

Applications can involve various local traditions, from gastronomy and handicrafts to proverbs, from beliefs and music instruments to dances and songs. Besides reviving endangered customs, the program seeks to foment the memory of these traditions, their transmission across generations, and contribute to the appreciation of local identities. 

The program covers 81 municipalities from the six Portuguese regions where EDP Produção production centers (dams and thermoelectric plants) are located - Tejo Mondego, Douro, Cávado Lima, Ribatejo, Lares, and Sines. Any Portuguese person or organization can apply for financial support from 'Tradições' - which provides a total of €213,000 - provided that they can ensure the development of the project in one of those municipalities.

How to apply
Applications must clearly describe the tradition they have chosen and the activities they want to implement in order to promote it, as well as the objectives of the project, the funding it needs, and ways of assessing the achievement of those objectives. A jury comprising EDP representatives and experts on those topics will then select the finalist projects, which will be visited and assessed by technical teams in the regions themselves.

The Tradições program is held every two years and has already sponsored 25 projects - totaling €675,000 - aimed at defending Portuguese folk culture. Three of the projects sponsored by EDP were shortlisted for the '7 Wonders of Portuguese Folk Culture' initiative. One of them is 'Carrejadas', an ancient practice from Serra do Gerês which consists of plowing, arranging and sowing crops on the mountain top with rye harvested in the region, and which has been revived by an organization called Baldios de Cabril. The other two nominated projects were 'Bombos de Lavacolhos', with which Pinus Verde has sought to promote the traditional bass drums, snare drums and fifes manufactured by craftsmen from Fundão, and 'Flores da Romaria de Santa Luzia', which has revived small traditions revolving around Beira Baixa's most popular pilgrimage. 

To learn more about the latest projects sponsored by the Tradições program and access the regulations and application form for the 2020 edition, please visit the program's website.