Dia da Espiga (loosely translated as “Corn Day”) is one of Portugal’s oldest traditions, which can be traced back to pagan times. As early Christianity spread across Europe during the 1st Century AD, Dia da Espiga was incorporated with Ascension Thursday, which takes place 40 days after Easter, celebrating Christ’s ascension into heaven.
Once one of the most sacred days of the year, when work and labour were strictly frowned upon, Dia da Espiga would see families instead venturing out into the fields to gather bouquets of wheat, flowers and olive branches to form a talisman for the household to ensure a prosperous year ahead. Typically, the bouquet would be picked at exactly 12 noon, known as dia da hora (day of the hour). Superstition claimed everything stopped at this time: the waters of the streams did not run, the milk did not curdle and the bread did not rise. Noon was, therefore, a perfect time to pick the bouquets.
According to tradition, the Espiga bouquet would consist of an ear of wheat, an olive branch, a marigold and a poppy, each having its own symbolic meaning. The ear of wheat would represent bread or a good harvest; the olive branch, peace; the marigold, silver and gold; and the poppy, love and life. This tradition is similar to the making of the British harvest loaf.
The bouquet would be kept on the back of the front door as a symbol of luck to ensure good harvests, abundance of food, peace, prosperity and love for the year ahead.
Dia da Espiga, or Ascension Day, falls on Thursday, 29 May this year, so if you fancy your hand at making a traditional Espiga bouquet, make sure to dust off your secateurs and bring a little bit of Portuguese luck into your home.
“He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat” – Psalm 147:14
