Strange Rules of Portugal

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Among the rules and laws of each country, you can find something that will surprise or even shock.

Of course, any rules and laws are dictated by the needs of the population. Perhaps, the laws of Portugal, in comparison with the laws of the eastern countries, will seem simply funny, but believe me, there were times when they really interfered with people’s lives. Today we will talk about the ridiculous rules and laws of Portugal of the last century!

Bike

Once upon a time, the invention of the bicycle was a great relief. By the way, it was invented a whole century later than the car, although according to the logic of evolution it should have been just the opposite – from simple to more complex. But precisely for this reason, when people learned how much easier it is to drive a bicycle than a car, the Portuguese law is surprising!

We are used to the fact that we need a driver’s license to drive a car. In the past, the exact same driving license was required in Portugal in order to operate a bicycle. Can you imagine? Of course, receiving such rights, a person was obliged to know road signs and rules, and this is not superfluous.

However, it was impossible to just walk into a bike shop and ride one of them home without the cherished permission!

Lighter

As before, so now, in order to possess many types of weapons, it was necessary to have a special permit. From 1961 to 1974, Portugal participated in the colonial war in Angola and almost every man had permission to carry a weapon. Now imagine that the use of an ordinary lighter also required permission. A man could have a gun, but he might not have the right to use a lighter!

Portugal generally has a special relationship with fire. Every resident of the country must comply with fire safety regulations, and playing with fire is punishable by a prison term. A fire can only be lit in special places. Probably, the lighter, as a source of fire, also seemed dangerous. The fear of fire in

Portugal is quite understandable – in the history of the country there were many large fires that destroyed cities. Consider, for example, the fire during the great Lisbon earthquake, which helped turn Lisbon into ruins and destroy 30% of the city’s population.

Moreover, every summer in Portugal forests light up. Unfortunately, a large area of ​​these forests is occupied by eucalyptus trees, which are called pyromancer trees. Due to the essential oils contained in the tree trunk, it bursts into flames like a Christmas tree. Further, the fire can spread to residential buildings. Now do you understand the nature of the emergence of such a law?

Divorces

Portugal is a Catholic country. Almost all marriages took place through the church. It was the church that should have approved the divorce, but of course the church was against it. Divorce, family breakdown, new partners – it all seemed blasphemous. The church could not approve of a divorce for years, especially if one of the spouses did not want this divorce. It is impossible to enter into a new marriage until the previous one is completed. It was impossible to openly communicate with your new chosen one while you are officially married without someone else’s condemnation. This spoiled the nerves of all participants in the process, and if the long-awaited divorce finally came, then it was no longer possible to marry through the church a second time.

Of the public people, Francisco Sa Carneiro, the Prime Minister of Portugal in 1980, became a “victim” of such strict orders. His wife did not give a divorce for four years, finding support in such a position from the church. He did not want to hide his relationship with the new chosen one, for which he received a lot of criticism and condemnation, his popularity in political circles fell because of this. Two days after his wife agreed to a divorce, Francisco and his mistress died in a plane crash.

He never knew that he had died free from the hateful bonds of marriage. Moreover, it has not yet been proven that the plane crash was not a terrorist attack provoked by a “dirty” political situation.

Even now, when morals and orders have long changed, the life and love story of Francisco Sa Carneiro in Portugal is remembered negatively. This attitude is passed down from generation to generation, but we sincerely sympathize with this couple.

Kisses

For the reasons described above, when each other’s personal lives were closely monitored, another rule emerged. Usually people over 40 were already married, they had housing where they could show feelings for each other. If adults were seen kissing on the street or in a car, then it was likely an act of treason. The police could show attention to such couples and ask the question of how people relate to each other.

It’s unpleasant when strangers stick their nose into your personal life, isn’t it? It’s good that this restriction is in the past and no one else will spoil the touching moment.

Gases

To cheer you up, let’s move from serious rules to absolutely ridiculous. We are sure that from the entire list you will remember this item. Are you ready to find out?

In Portugal, they were fined for the release of digestive gases, in other words, for farting. It was possible to release the gas quietly and imperceptibly, if only for the reason that it would then be difficult to identify the person’s identity in order to punish. But to rise in a chair, specially push and fart loudly – this was a violation of the law, for which a fine was relied. If the sound was repeated several times in a row, the person received the same number of penalties. One penalty for one fart.

Of course, in these times, no normal person would fart in front of others, but not out of fear of getting a fine. Imagine that once people were not restrained by anything in this fragrant situation, except for the law!

Conclusion

Sometimes, after such information, we understand how good it is that the past is in the past and, along with it, ridiculous rules have left our lives. No more hiding and pretending, paying for the natural needs of the body and depending on what other people think. Strict restrictions are just as harmful to society as permissiveness. Let people be guided more by the head and heart than by absurd rules!

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