Fado?...

You may or may not have heard of Fado... In Portuguese Fado simply means destiny or fate. The Portuguese culture believes that everything they experience in life is their fate... throughout the countryside Fado can be heard at restaurants and small cafes and follow two main styles, either Lisbon or Coimbra...

We were fortunate to have our Fado night planned by Paula and Joe, friends of Randy's... 
A small restaurant filled with culture and ambiance awaited us... 

 
We ordered dishes that were very typical Portuguese fare and as our food arrived the entertainment began...

Fado is truly an emotional experience... both for those singing and for those watching... the words and actions of the performers expressed a passion and an emotion that came from deep within... they told a story... and although I was only able to catch a word here and there, I knew there was a much deeper, more powerful meaning than I could possibly imagine.

I took a moment to step outside for some fresh air and was greeted by our first Fado singer, Xxxxx. He asked me... In Portuguese, if I was warm... I answered yes but quickly told him that I did not speak Portuguese and he clearly did not speak English... I called to Paula to please come translate for me... My new Fado friend then began to tell me the story of the village we were in and that it had been more or less leveled in an earthquake in 1111... He said that the village was rebuilt on top of the rubble... he continued to share a quick history of the surrounding area... and although Paula helped me to understand his words, his eyes and expression spoke to me perhaps more deeply... the passion, pride, and love for the history of his country and his people was evident and heartfelt...

This went on for about 15 minutes until he was brought back in to join the other singers once again... I told him that I appreciated his gift of singing and thoroughly enjoyed the evening... After about another hour, we made our way outside to head home... as I passed him he said goodnight and thanked me for coming kissing my cheeks goodnight. Thank you my friend...for sharing your heart and your joy with me...