One of the biggest support programs for Portuguese popular culture is back. The 4th edition of 'Tradições' - an initiative promoted by EDP to recover and support ancestral practices and traditional customs in the different regions of the country - starts this Monday, June 15th, with the opening of the application phase.

From gastronomy to handicrafts, and also sayings, beliefs, instruments, dances and songs, there are many local traditions that can inspire projects. The objective, in addition to recovering customs on the verge of disappearing, is to promote the memory of these traditions, to pass them on to the next generation and contribute to the enhancement of identity and local communities.

The program currently covers 81 municipalities, which are included in the six areas of the country where EDP Produção has electricity production centers (dams and thermoelectric plants) - Tejo, Mondego, Douro, Cávado Lima, Ribatejo, Lares and Sines. Any person or national entity can apply for financial support from 'Tradições', which involves a total of 213,000 euros, as long as the development of the projects are in one of the municipalities involved.

The applications, which can be sent starting today and until August 31st, must clearly describe the selected tradition, the activities proposed for its promotion, as well as the objectives of the project, the necessary funding and ways of assessing the fulfillment of those objectives. A jury comprising of EDP members and relevant personalities in these areas will then select the finalist projects that will be visited and evaluated in each region by technical teams.

'Tradições' takes place every two years and has already supported 25 projects that protect the traditional Portuguese culture with 675,000 euros. Three of these projects supported by EDP ended up being highlighted in the list of nominations for the '7 Maravilhas da Cultura Popular Portuguesa'. One of them is 'Carrejadas', a secular practice in Serra do Gerês (which consists of plowing, arranging and sowing corrals at the top of the mountain with rye harvested in the region), recovered by the entity Baldios de Cabril. Two other projects nominated by the same initiative are the 'Bombos de Lavacolhos', with which Pinus Verde sought to promote the production of drums, boxes and flutes by artisans in the municipality of Fundão, and the 'Flores da Romaria de Santa Luzia', which recovered small traditions around the most popular pilgrimage in Beira Baixa.

To find out more about the latest projects supported by 'Tradições' and go over the regulation and application form for the 2020 edition, visit the program's website.