I know it’s been a while since I last blogged here. I’ve been very busy on a trip in Europe with my parents. First a river cruise on the Douro River in Portugal and topped off with Amsterdam and the Anne Frank House (A must go to place). Our local guides in Portugal told us a lot of stories and I’ve decided to share my favorites with you. Are you familiar with any of these? let me know and whether or not I retold it right.
Our guide told us this story a couple of times. It’s a common thing to see souvenirs with roosters on them. These roosters stem from a legend known as the “Miracle of the Rooster” or the “Rooster of Barcelos”.
The story goes that there was once a man making a Pilgimage to Santiago de Compestelo. In need of some rest and food, the pilgrim stopped in Barcelos. It just so happens that a crime had been committed. Our guide did not specify the nature of the crime but because this pilgrim was the only new person in the area, he was immediately arrested and tried. The judge had already decided that he was guilty (though he had no proof) and sentenced the man to hang. Granting the man’s last wish, the judge allowed him to talk to him. The judge, however, wasn’t going to listen to the man’s appeal.
The pilgrim noticed that the judge (because he was at dinner with some important people) was eating rooster. Before being led away, the pilgrim said “If I am innocent, a rooster will crow the moment I am hanged” (or something to the effect). Sure enough, the second the rope dropped the man from the gallows, a rooster was heard crowing. The judge remembered the man’s words, and many rushed to save the pilgrim, which they were able to successfully and he was allowed to continue this journey. He made it to Santiago and on his way back, stopped in Barcelos to present a nice gift: a figure of a rooster.
I don’t know if this was a “No hard feelings” kind of gesture or if this was meant as a passive aggressive joke. I say the latter because you wouldn’t easily forgive an experience like that. Perhaps, the pilgrim wanted to take the high road on this one. That’s just my thoughts on that gesture but now, you see souvenier shops full of roosters and yes, I did buy a few in Lamego later that week.
I hope you enjoyed this first story. I’ve provided a couple links to it but if you’re familiar with this story, let me know in the comments. Where did you hear it? Did you hear it anything like I heard, or did you hear it differently? Do you know of any similar stories? Did I retell it right?
Next time, I’ll tell you a story out of Portuguese history.
Until then, let every story be a lesson to us all.
Links to this story-
The Rooster of Barcelos – Portugal.com
The Incredible Miracle of the Rooster of Barcelos – Portuguese Folklore (youtube.com)