Pão-por-Deus: Portugal's All Saints' Day tradition, its origin and customs

By Luís Serra, co-founder of Ra-Ro · View profile

About a 6 minute read

Pão-por-Deus ("bread for God's sake") is Portugal's All Saints' Day tradition on 1 November: in the morning, children go from door to door, say "Pão-por-Deus" and are given broas (small spiced cakes), bread, nuts, pomegranates, chestnuts or a few coins, which they carry in a little cloth bag. It grew out of the old custom of giving food to the poor in memory of the dead and, in Lisbon, gained strength after the earthquake of 1 November 1755.

Pão-por-Deus in short

• When: 1 November, All Saints' Day, a public holiday in Portugal; the day before All Souls' Day on 2 November.
• Who asks: mostly children, in groups, in the morning.
• What is given: bread, broas, cakes, walnuts, almonds, pomegranates, chestnuts and, these days, chocolates and sweets.
• What it goes in: a cloth bag, often sewn at home.
• Other names: Dia do Bolinho ("little cake day") around Leiria, "bolinhos e bolinhós" around Coimbra.
• At Ra-Ro: linen pouches with Guimarães embroidery and seasonal gifts such as mead, apple jam and a chestnut roaster.

What is Pão-por-Deus

The name says almost everything: you ask for bread "for the love of God", the way people once asked for alms. The custom is tied to remembering the dead. Those who gave helped people with little and, at the same time, honoured their own departed. Over time the asking passed almost entirely to children, and the alms became a street and neighbourhood celebration.

Where does Pão-por-Deus come from

Nobody knows exactly when it began. It is related to other European customs of asking for food for the souls in early November, such as the soul cakes of England and Ireland, and it probably existed before it was known by its current name. The story usually told is that after the earthquake that destroyed Lisbon on 1 November 1755, many survivors were left with nothing and had to beg for bread. In the following years, asking on the anniversary of the disaster reinforced a custom that was already there. So it is fairer to say the earthquake gave Pão-por-Deus new strength than to say it created it.

How children ask

Children meet early, knock on neighbours' doors and at local shops and simply say "Pão-por-Deus". In many places they recite traditional verses asking for bread or a little cake for the bag and wishing the giver God's blessing. Around Coimbra the verses begin with "bolinhos e bolinhós". Every family has its own version, and that is the charm: ask a Portuguese grandparent how it went in their village.

Regional names

• Pão-por-Deus: the most common name, in Lisbon and much of the country.
• Dia do Bolinho: around Leiria.
• Bolinhos or bolinhós: around Coimbra, where children also carried boxes or hollowed out pumpkins.
• Santoro: in some regions, the cake godparents give their godchildren at this time of year.
• Azores: the traditional sweet bread of the day was the escaldada, similar to massa sovada.

What is given

Whatever the land gives in autumn: bread, broas, walnuts, almonds, pomegranates and chestnuts, sometimes a few coins. Bakers gave bread and fruit sellers gave chestnuts. Chocolates and sweets are common now, but a homemade broa or a handful of walnuts are still the gifts most faithful to the tradition. For a seasonal gift for parents or grandparents, a jar of Porta da Loja Extra Apple Jam (€7.70), made from an old apple variety that almost disappeared, or a Bitter Honey (€9.60), from strawberry tree blossom, sit nicely next to the broas.

The little cloth bag

The bag is part of the tradition. It was made of cloth, often sewn by mothers from scraps, and came home full. We do not sell a bag made specifically for Pão-por-Deus, but we do have two small linen pouches with Guimarães embroidery, by some of the few artisans certified in this technique (there are eight): the Almond Pouch (€26.40), designed for almonds, and the Lavender Pouch (€32.79), filled with lavender to scent drawers. Both come together in the Guimarães Embroidery Pack (€53.27). Filled with walnuts and almonds, the almond pouch makes a lovely seasonal keepsake.

Pão-por-Deus and Halloween: the difference

• Date: Halloween is the night of 31 October; Pão-por-Deus is the morning of 1 November.
• Costumes: Halloween has costumes and masks; for Pão-por-Deus children go as they are.
• The ask: "trick or treat" carries a playful threat; "Pão-por-Deus" is a request in the name of God and the dead, with no tricks.
• Gifts: on Halloween, shop bought sweets; on Pão-por-Deus, bread, broas and seasonal fruit.
• Origin: Halloween reached Portugal from English speaking countries; Pão-por-Deus has been Portuguese for centuries, although both have roots in old customs of remembering the souls.

From Pão-por-Deus to the São Martinho magusto

The chestnuts children receive on 1 November are the same ones roasted ten days later at the magusto, the chestnut feast of São Martinho (St Martin) on 11 November. We tell that story in Magusto: what it is, its origin and São Martinho traditions, and explain how to hold your own in Magusto at home. For that, the Chestnut Roaster (€101.30) by Cesar Teixeira is made of Gondar black clay, fired in a soenga pit. And for November evenings, the Traditional Mead (€21.80) or the Mountain Nights Pack (€79.20), with mead and elderflower liqueur, go well with chestnuts. More about the drink in our mead glossary.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pão-por-Deus?

It is Portugal's All Saints' Day tradition in which children go door to door saying "Pão-por-Deus" and receive bread, cakes, nuts, pomegranates, chestnuts or coins in a cloth bag.

When is Pão-por-Deus?

On 1 November, All Saints' Day, usually in the morning. The next day, 2 November, is All Souls' Day.

Did Pão-por-Deus start with the 1755 earthquake?

Not exactly. The custom is older, but in Lisbon it gained strength after the earthquake of 1 November 1755, when many survivors had to beg for bread.

What do children get for Pão-por-Deus?

Traditionally bread, broas, walnuts, almonds, pomegranates and chestnuts, sometimes coins. Today chocolates and sweets are common too.

Is Pão-por-Deus the Portuguese Halloween?

It looks similar but is different: it happens on the morning of 1 November, without costumes or tricks, and children ask for bread and seasonal fruit rather than sweets.

What is Pão-por-Deus called in other regions?

Around Leiria it is Dia do Bolinho, and around Coimbra children ask for "bolinhos e bolinhós". In some regions, santoro is the cake godparents give their godchildren.