What better day, than the one dedicated to lovers, to tell the tradition of the “ Lenços dos Namorados ” (Lovers' handkerchiefs)?
It is a Portuguese tradition born in the Minho region between the 17th and 18th centuries.
But what is it? We are talking about a linen or cotton handkerchief (40x60) decorated with cross-stitch embroidery or other techniques on which love phrases and symbols such as flowers, hearts, ships, butterflies, letters or keys were embroidered. They were used as a true declaration of love from the girl to her beloved.
Tradition dictated that girls of marriageable age wore it on Sunday hanging from their skirt or in plain sight in the pockets of their apron, and then offered it as a token of love to their beloved. If he reciprocated the interest, he began to show it in public. If, however, the love was not reciprocated or the relationship ended, the handkerchief was returned to the girl.
A few years ago, the Portuguese airline TAP, on Valentine's Day, decided to decorate the seats of its planes with the "Lenços dos Namorados" with the aim of making this typical custom of northern Portugal known.
