In Funchal, there are quite a few streets with dates in their names, e.g. Via 25 de Abril (25 April), Rua 31 de Janeiro (31 January) and Rua 5 de Outubro (5 October). I personally didn’t know anything about them, but after some research I managed to conclude the following.

On 25 April 1947, the Carnation Revolution, or April Revolution, began, a military coup that overthrew the Estado Novo government. This resulted in the Portuguese changing to democracy and the end of the civil war. It got its name from demonstrators giving carnation flowers to the soldiers and because few shots were fired.

The first Republican Revolt happened on 31 January 1891. This attempt tried to overthrow the century-old monarchy. It took place with a military uprising in Porto. The revolt was swiftly ended with 12 deaths, potentially more. Because of the revolt, the 1890 British Ultimatum was given to Portugal, demanding that they withdraw their forces from Africa. They had recently claimed a big chunk of land there.

On 5 October 1910 was the overthrow of the monarchy and the beginning of the First Portuguese Republic. Because of the 1890 British Ultimatum, and for many other reasons, the kingdom was in crisis. In the end, 2,000 soldiers and sailors rebelled on 3 and 4 October that year. The next day, the First Portuguese Republic was formed, the national anthem and flag were changed, and lots of other political bits happened. This helped boost Portugal into modern society.

I hoped this helped you understand a little about the history of Portugal. All of these special dates are celebrated throughout Portugal and its colonies.