Today is a national holiday in Portugal: 25 de Abril, aka Day of Liberty, Carnation Day, Revolution Day. On this day in 1974, the authoritarian regime, Estado Novo (established in 1933), was overthrown in Lisbon in a non-violent coup. Carnations were placed on uniforms and stuffed into rifles, and they became the national symbol for liberty and democracy. Freedom was not just for Portugal, but also for the former colonies: Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, Cabo Verde, and East Timor gained independence in 1975.
I wrote about the significance of April 25 a few years ago. Today I’ll point you to another article to provide a different perspective:
