Porto, Portugal
The porcelain chicken below has a prominent place in our dining room, it is part of a collection of poultry-related items Bear treasures.
In my mind, the flowery rooster is a little grotesque. I have occasionally been tempted to knock it off the shelf, but one does not interfere with a Bear and her chickens.
My father gave the “art” piece to Bear several years ago. Dad said it was Portuguese; he mentioned that the rooster had some cultural significance, but he never elaborated.
I didn’t realize until we traveled to Portugal, just how important the rooster is. Everywhere we go, variations of the colourful bird pop up.
The story goes that a man from Galicia, Spain was passing through the town of Barcelos in northern Portugal, on a pilgrimage. He was staying at an inn one evening when some silverware went missing. The people of the town accused the foreigner of stealing the silver and put him on trial.
The man was convicted and sentenced to hang for the crime.
The man asked to speak to the magistrate before his sentence was carried out. The authorities granted him his wish and he was taken to the judge’s home, where a banquet was underway.
Affirming his innocence, the man pointed to a roasted rooster on top of the banquet table and exclaimed,
“It is as certain that I am innocent as that rooster will crow when they hang me.”
The judge pushed aside his plate, deciding not to eat the roasted fowl, but otherwise ignored the appeal. The man was taken back to his cell and the executioners prepared the gallows. Just as the noose was being fastened around the man’s neck, the cooked rooster stood up on the judge’s table and crowed!
The judge ran to the courthouse and pardoned the man before the gallows dropped.
Since that day, the rooster symbolizes the Portuguese people’s resilience, optimism, and belief in…
…second chances.
The Rooster of Barcelos, occupies a prominent place in many Portuguese homes.
17th century sculpture entitled “Cruzeiro do Senhor do Galo” (Crucifix to the Lord of the Rooster) located at the Barcelos Archaeological Museum.
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