PORTUGUESE PROVERBS - Simona Raguckaitė

1. Matar dois coelhos de uma cajadada só.

English translation: To kill two birds with one stone.

Meaning: Resolving two difficulties or matters with a single action.

Lithuanian equivalent: Du zuikiai vienu šūviu.

2. Água mole em pedra dura, tanto bate até que fura.

English translation: Soft water on hard rock will work until it makes a hole.

Meaning: Even the most difficult tasks can be accomplished eventually if one has enough perseverance not to give up.

Lithuanian equivalent: Lašas po lašo ir akmenį pratašo.

3. Onde há fumaca há fogo.

English translation: Where there is smoke, there's fire.

Meaning: If it looks like something is wrong, that something is actually probably wrong.

Lithuanian equivalent: Nėra dūmų be ugnies.

I was surprised to discover so many similarities between Lithuanian and Portuguese proverbs. Evidently, despite large cultural differences, people living thousands of kilometers apart still tend to think the same way. It was also interesting to find some proverbs that somehow found their way to both Lithuania and Portugal from other countries, e.g. Os caes ladram mas a caravana passa (Dogs bark, but a caravan keeps on).

Portuguese proverbs by Lina Stakauskaitė

There are literally thousands of proverbs in the multitude of cultures and languages of the world. they have been collected and studied for centuries as informative and useful linguistic signs of cultural values and thoughts. A proverb is a simple concrete saying popularly known repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical.

*Antes tarde do que nunca.
Geriau vėliau, nei niekada.
Better late than never. Meaning, that it is better to finish work later than not finish at all. Or meet, congradulate with birthday person later, than never. You show that you remember, that you care.

*As paredes tem ouvidos.
Ir sienos turi ausis.
The walls have ears. Meaning, that you have to be very careful either saying truth to someone, either laying- someone can hear you and turn it against you.

*Сom tempo tudo se cura.
Laikas gydo žaizdas.
With time everything gets cured. Meaning, that after brake-ups, divorces, deaths even if your heart is broken, you feel lonely, depressed after some time you will feel better. You will forget a bit, you will face up and live further, feel happiness and love again.

Tu sum up, as we can see from these examples, we can say that Portugal and Lithuania has cultural similarities. It can be explained because proverbs are often borrowed from similar languages and cultures and sometimes come down to the present through more than one language. Even though almost every culture has examples of it's own proverb there are a lot having same meanings in different cultures and languages.

By Lina Stakauskaitė

PORTUGUESE PROVERBS by Milda Čepulkauskaitė

A proverb is a simple and concrete saying which is widely known and it usually expresses a truth based on various people experiences. They usually have equivalences in different countries and cultures. This time we will be comparing Portuguese and Lithuanian proverbs:

• "Tempo é dinheiro."
o Translation: "Time is money".
o Lithuanian equivalent: „Laikas – pinigai“.
Meaning: This proverb usually goes for business world, rather than a private world. In the contemporary business world, time is literally equal to money. It says that if we won’t use our working time to earn money, we will end up by losing money. You can waste time talking or you can use time effectively.

• "Quem não arrisca não petisca."
o Translation: "Who doesn't take a chance won't nibble."
o Lithuanian equivalent: „Kas nerizikuoja, negeria šampano”
o Translation: Who doesn't risk never gets to drink champagne.
Meaning: This proverb is usually used when you want to do something that is risky and not quite sure, but in case of success you could gain you a lot of goods. It means that you have to try and take risks in order to achieve something.

• "Quem espera por sapatos de defunto toda a vida anda descalço."
o Translation: Who waits for the shoes of a dead man will go barefoot all his life.
o Lithuanian equivalent: „Neperšokęs griovio, nesakyk „op““
o Translation: Don’t say “hop” before jumping.
Meaning: This proverb is encouraging to count only with what you have, not upon future gains and don’t be risky. Or it could also mean something like don't be hasty in evaluating something’s or someone’s assets.

After our research we can ensure that the proverbs are used worldwide and they have their equivalences all around the world. The words used in the phrases are closely related to different cultures and lingual differences, but the main point of these sayings is the same.
Some of the proverbs are contradicting one another, because there is no basic truth that could be applied in all situations. Also it depends on the country, culture, language and people which proverbs are used more and which are used less.

Portuguese proverbs by Justė Urbonavičiūtė

“Na adversidade é que se prova a amizade” is translated as “Friendship is proven in adversity" and has the equivalent in English as “A friend in need is a friend indeed”. This proverb states that the true friend is the one who helps you in trouble and not the one who turn his/her back when problems arise. So the real friends and the stability of the friendship can be tested in adversity. Lithuanian equivalent for this proverb is “Draugą bėdoje pažinsi“.

“Mais vale um pássaro na mão do que dois a voar” has the meaning of “A bird in the hand has more worth than two flying” in English. It suggests that sometimes it is better to be satisfied with your current situation than have great expectations and go for things which will not necessarily become yours. ‘The bird in hand’ refers to stability and ‘two flying’ implies things which may not be likely to happen. In this case Lithuanians say “Geriau žvirblis rankoje, negu briedis girioje“.

“Cão que ladra não morde” is translated into English as “Barking dog doesn’t bite”. This proverb conveys the idea that people who only talk are not as dangerous as they might seem from their talking. So often threatening words expressed in pompous manner are not dangerous at all as they do not lead to action. “Daug loja, bet nekanda” is the Lithuanian equivalent for this proverb.

All in all, what these proverbs show is that despite small linguistic differences (as in the second proverb “A bird in the hand has more worth than two flying” Portuguese use only the image of two birds while Lithuanians employ the image of moose for the same thing instead) the sayings in different cultures are quite the same. This leads to the fact that every nation shares universal truth no matter how it might be expressed.

Pedro Costa

Pedro Costa

Pedro Costa is a well known Portuguese film director born in 1959. While studying history at University of Lisbon, Costa switched to film courses at School of Theatre and Cinema (Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema). After working as an assistant director to several directors such as Jorge Silva Melo and João Botelho, he made his first feature film O Sangue (The Blood) in 1989. He received the France Culture Award at 2002 Cannes International Film Festival for directing the film No Quarto da Vanda (In Vanda’s Room). His other film Juventude em Marcha (Colossal Youth) was selected for the Cannes Film Festival in 2006 and earned the Independent/Experimental prize from Los Angeles Film Critics Assossiation in 2008. He is acclaimed for using his ascetic style to depict the marginalised people in desperate living situations. Many of his films are set in a district of Lisbon inhabited by the socially disadvantaged and shot in a natural and low-key way that makes them resemble documentaries.

Being a really influential and unique film director Pedro Costa has really interesting ideas about cinema, it’s purpose, director’s and viewer’s parts. Today cinema reached the point where it has great influence over viewers and it also helps to know things. So according to the director it is very important to know how to watch films. A viewer has to watch films at a distance. He doesn’t face things directly in the cinema world, he only watches, feels and experiences the reality through unreality. Sometimes in the cinema it is just as important not to see, to hide, as it is to show. Pedro Costa states that the primary function of cinema is to make the audience feel that something isn't right. In order to notice, reflect, think and question this idea the audience should notice that in the film there is a lack of something or that the things shown in the film shouldn‘t be happening. So the director of a film should understand that that cinema is an art which can make its strongest effect with the idea of absence, with the idea of cinema as an art of absence.

Like life, films are also made by the rules and orders. The rules of a film are fixed in the production script. Of course there are documentary directors who film without a script and who also capture the same human experiences. Though according to Pedro Costa the first true directors were those who synthesized the documentary and fiction in a film. So sometimes when a documentary is made to show everything, in fact it doesn't show anything, the spectators don't see anything, they are just scattered. A single gesture or glance of an actor can say a lot more about suffering, misery, or joy, than a documentary that shows everything.

So by what it was said, Pedro Costa divides films into two categories: closed door films and open door films. In the case of open door films, when a spectator sees a good film, he always sees himself in the film, he sees what he wants to see. The open door films are those like junk food – you know that it’s bad for you but it makes you want it and finally you eat it. The spectator can only see the film if something on the screen resists him. If he can recognize everything, he's going to project himself on the screen. So fiction is always a door that a spectator wants to open or not.

And finally Pedro Costa speaks about film director’s part in the cinema world. He says that being a film director is a very solitary labour, because it involves working on your own feelings. A director is also something of a scientist, because he must research of good and evil and later show the conclusion in the film. lf the right feelings wouldn‘t be put into the technology, then the technoogy won't work.

So to sum up the main ideas by the director about cinema can be explained by one his quote: „Films, the entire history of cinema, and I would even say all music, all the work that men have made in what we call the arts – this work is like the trains that go alongside life, but must never cross it.“

Portuguese Proverbs by Rūta Pauliukonytė

“A cavalo dado não se olha os dentes”

The proverb has a direct translation into English "One doesn't examine the teeth of a gift horse. It means that people should accept things, which unexpectedly, without effort come to their lives, and should not be too choosy or underestimate it. The Lithuanian language has the equivalent expression of this proverb, which means the same as in Portuguese.

“Dovanotam arkliui į dantis nežiūrima.”

A esperança é a última a morrer.

In English, this proverb would sound as follows: Hope dies the last. The meaning, basically, can be understood directly, whereas it shows that the hope stays in every aspect of life, suggesting the positive thinking and not giving up. Lithuanian folk wisdom has the same proverb with identical meaning.

‘Viltis mirsta paskutinė.’

‘Diz-me com quem andas dir-te-ei quem és’

This proverb says: tell me who you gather with and I'll tell you who you are. It is possible to interpret this saying as it shows how important and influential the surrounding of a person is. After some time all people get some features from their friends and others whom they live with. So being surrounded by bad company would mean to become one himself and vice versa. In addition, we could understand this that a person chooses his surrounding which is similar to him so the friends can be seen as the reflection of oneself. Lithuanian language translates this saying slightly different, instead of using impersonal expressions ‘who you gather with’ it uses the word friend (translation-draugas). Nevertheless, the meaning stays absolutely unchanged.

‘Pasakyk kas tavo draugai ir as pasakysiu kas tu toks.’

To make a brief conclusion about what was mentioned during this comparison of the proverbs, it can be fairly stated that Lithuanian and Portuguese use of various expressions is very similar. So it raises a question maybe for the future surveys about wider cultural similarities. Are Lithuanians so alike Portuguese in this respect or is it just a coincidence?

Coimbra

Coimbra é uma cidade portuguesa, capital do Distrito de Coimbra, principal cidade da região Centro de Portugal e situada na subregião do Baixo Mondego. É considerada uma das mais importantes cidades portuguesas, devido a infraestruturas, organizações e empresas que detém e que servem toda a população, que a sua importância histórica e privilegiada posição geográfica na região centro, lhe possibilitou centralizar.

Por bastantes vezes, Coimbra é chamada de "Cidade dos estudantes", principalmente por ter uma das mais antigas e prestigiadas universidades da Europa – a Universidade de Coimbra (UC) . Nos dias correntes, a Universidade de Coimbra tem aproximadamente 21 000 alunos, contando com alguns dos mais selectivos e exigentes programas académicos do país, um elevado número de unidades de investigação acreditadas, e tendo cerca de 10% de alunos estrangeiros de 70 nacionalidades diferentes, sendo assim a mais internacional das universidades portuguesas.

É também em Coimbra que existe a mais antiga e maior associação de estudantes do país – a Associação Académica de Coimbra fundada a 3 de Novembro de 1887. Esta organização representa todos os alunos da UC.

‎Coimbra é também conhecida pelas festas e tradições académicas. A primeira das duas festas é a Latada ou a Festa das Latas e imposição das insígnias, que acontece no início do ano escolar, para dar as boas vindas aos novos estudantes (caloiros ou novatos). As Latadas começaram no século XIX quando os estudantes exprimiam ruidosamente a sua alegria pelo termo do ano lectivo em Maio. Utilizavam para isso todos os objectos que produzissem barulho, nomeadamente latas. Foi a partir dos anos 1950/60 que as Latadas passaram a ocorrer, não no termo do ano lectivo, mas sim no início, coincidindo com a abertura da Universidade e a chegada da população escolar de férias, o que dava à cidade um clima eminentemente académico. Actualmente os caloiros, incorporados no cortejo, vestem uma fantasia pessoal com as cores da sua faculdade ou a batina virada do avesso, transportando cartazes com legendas de conteúdo crítico, alusivos à vida escolar ou nacional. Os caloiros seguem em duas filas paralelas, com os padrinhos que devem ter um comportamento digno de um estudante de Coimbra, dando o exemplo aos novatos que se estão a iniciar na Praxe Académica. No fim do cortejo nas ruas da cidade, os novos estudantes são baptizados no rio Mondego.

A segunda festa é a Queima das Fitas, bastante mais importante que a primeira, tem lugar no fim do segundo semestre, mais concretamente no início do mês de Maio, começando na noite de quinta-feira para sexta-feira com a Serenata Monumental nas escadas da Sé Velha. É a maior festa estudantil de toda a Europa e tem a duração de 9 dias, um dia para cada faculdade da universidade (Letras, Direito, Medicina, Ciências e Tecnologias, Farmácia, Economia, Psicologia e Ciências da Educação e Educação Física e Ciências do Desporto) e Antigos Alunos.

Coimbra é também um importante centro musical. Historicamente, a Sé Nova, o Mosteiro de Santa Cruz (fundado por D. Afonso Henriques) e a Universidade (com aula de música desde 1323) constituíram os principais centros de produção e prática musical. O fado de Coimbra está intimamente ligado às tradições académicas e caracteriza-se por uma guitarra com uma estrutura, configuração e afinação própria. Nomes como Adriano Correia de Oliveira e Zeca Afonso, cantores e poetas da resistência à ditadura, revolucionaram a música tradicional portuguesa.

Actualmente, a cidade dispõe de vários centros de formação em música, aos mais diversos níveis, destacando-se o Conservatório de Música de Coimbra, a Escola Diocesana de Música Sacra e a Licenciatura em Estudos Artísticos da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra. Coimbra é ainda considerada uma "cidade de coros", devido ao elevado número deste tipo de formação na cidade. Destacam-se, entre os coros académicos, o Orfeon Académico de Coimbra, o Coro Misto da Universidade de Coimbra e o Coro da Capela da Universidade de Coimbra.

No próximo ano lectivo eu vou fazer o programa Erasmus em Coimbra e tenho a certeza de que vou gostar muito dessa cidade :) .

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Coimbra – miestas vidurio Portugalijos regione, prie Mondego upės, apskrities centras. Dėl savo infrastruktūros, organizacijų ir įmonių Coimbra yra vienas svarbiausių, prekybą plėtojančių miestų Portugalijoje. Šis miestas išsiskiria savo istorine svarba bei puikia geografine padėtimi.

Gana dažnai Coimbra yra vadinama „Studentų miestu“. Taip yra todėl, kad būtent šiame mieste galima rasti vieną seniausių ir prestižiškiausių Europos universitetų – Coimbros universitetą (UC). Šiuo metu Coimbros universitete studijuoja apie 21 000 studentų. Maždaug 10% universiteto studentų yra užsieniečiai iš 70 skirtingų pasaulio kraštų. Štai kodėl šis universitetas laikomas labiausiai tarptautiniu universitetu Portugalijoje.

Taip pat Coimbroje susikūrė seniausia ir didžiausia Portugalijos studentų sąjunga – Akademinė Coimbros Asociacija, įkurta lapkričio 3 d. 1887 m. Ši organizacija reprezentuoja visus Coimbros universiteto studentus.
Coimbra garsėja ne tik seniausiu universitetu Portugalijoje, bet ir akademinėmis studentų šventėmis. Dažniausiai vyksta dvi pagrindinės šventės. Pirmoji, Latada (Skardinių šventė) yra mokslo metų pradžioje rengiamas studentų paradas, kurio metu sutinkami ir sveikinami nauji studentai. Ši šventė atsirado dar XIX a. , kai Coimbros studentai, norėdami išreikšti savo džiaugsmą besibaigiančiais mokslo metais, nusprendė šiam tikslui naudoti visas priemones, skleidžiančias triukšmą, ypač skardines. Šiais laikais paradas vyksta mokslo metų pradžioje, dažniausiai lapkritį. Studentai paprastai užsiriša nedidelius kaspinus su savo fakultetui priklausančia spalva, taip pat neša plakatus, ironiškai kritikuojančius tam tikrus dėstytojus, švietimo sistemą ar nacionalinius įvykius. Paradui baigiantis nauji studentai yra pakrikštijami Mondego upėje.

Antroji, Queima das Fitas (Kaspinų deginimo) šventė yra svarbesnė nei pirmoji. Paprastai ši Kaspinų deginimo šventė vyksta antrojo semestro pabaigoje, gegužės mėn. Šventė pradedama naktį iš ketvirtadienio į penktadienį, dainuojant tradicinę serenadą ant Senosios Katedros laiptų. Tai yra didžiausia studentų šventė visoje Europoje, ji tęsiasi 9 dienas, kiekviena iš šių dienų skiriama tam tikram fakultetui (Filologijos, Teisės, Medicinos, Farmacijos, Tiksliųjų moklų ir Technologijos, Ekonomikos, Psichologijos ir Pedagoginių mokslų, Fizikos bei Kūno kultūros).

Coimbra taip pat garsėja kaip svarbus Portugalijos muzikos centras. Istoriniu požiūriu, būtent a Sé Nova (Naujojoje Coimbros Katedroje), o Mosteiro de Santa Cruz (Šventojo Kryžiaus vienuolyne, įkurtame D. Afonso Henriques) ir Universitete (prasidėjus muzikos pamokoms nuo 1323) veikia pagrindiniai muzikos, koncertų bei kūrybos centrai. Vienas svarbiausių yra Coimbros Fado muzikinis žanras, glaudžiai susijęs su akademinėmis universiteto tradicijomis bei studentų gyvenimu. Fado atliekamas tradicinėmis gitaromis, turinčiomis ne tik išskirtinę sandarą, bet ir unikalų skambesį. Ši tradicinė portugalų muzika atsirado būtent Adriano Correia de Oliveira ir Zeca Afonso, dainininkų, poetų bei pasipriešinimo diktatūrai atstovų dėka.

Šiuo metu Coimbroje veikia įvairūs muzikos mokymo centrai, tokie kaip Coimbros Muzikos Konservatorija, Sakralinės Muzikos Vyskupijos Mokykla, taip pat bakalauro Meno Studijos humanitariniame fakultete, Coimbros universitete. Coimbra taip pat laikoma „chorų miestu“, čia veikia daugybė skirtingų chorų, yra net trys akademiniai chorai (Akademinis Coimbros Choras, Mišrus Coimbros Universiteto Choras, Coimbros Universiteto Bažnytinis Choras).

Kitais mokslo metais važiuosiu į Coimbrą su Erasmus programa ir esu tikra, jog man labai patiks šis miestas :) .

João Paulo Feliciano

“Artistic thinking embeds most of what I do, but my modus operandi is not exclusively that of an artist”. This quotation seems to sum up the productive force behind the work of João Paulo Feliciano, visual artist, musician, designer, artistic promoter and cultural manager, among multiple activities. By trying to re-connect art and life, cultivating popular culture, and by bringing different artistic languages within independent and complementary margins and fields of creative production together, this artist’s work totally fulfils the expanded space that the word multimedia comprehends.

João Paulo Feliciano has always explored the limits and possible interferences between the nature of artistic languages and different aspects of urban popular culture. Either when these shape contemporary attitudes and life styles, namely those based on experimental manifestations of design or music, or when they result from a proposed intersection between art and a particular concept of community.

One of multiple activities, that Feliciano does is music projects. His music projects include the bands Tina and the Top Ten and No Noise Reduction. Both performed extensively throughout Portugal in varied venues and opened for the legendary avant-garde rock band Sonic Youth in Lisbon. Feliciano's artwork would later be used as an alternate cover for Sonic Youth's Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star.

Talking about exhibitions, one of my favourite solo exhibition of João Paulo Feliciano is “Music lessons ”, which was shown in 2008.
In 2009 this exhibition also came to Lithuania and was shown together with Laura Garbštienės exhibition.

One more famous João Paulo Feliciano exhibition/project is „The Blues Quartet“.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tetl3VzUmvA

It is a sound and light sculpture-installation exploring the crossover between aural and visual art. Four different lamps stand upright on the corners of a table-stage. On top of the table-stage, two planes of dark blue transparent perspex intersect to divide the space in four. The four lights blink in response to the sound of music playing, creating reflections, transparencies and juxtapositions; a bewildering choreography of light, colour and sound. To understand, how good was this work, I suggest to watch the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=276M7ppwDes

I think this is not all what João Paulo Feliciano can do. Interesting how this artist will surprise us more.

João Paulo Feliciano

„Meninis mąstymas įsiterpia daugumoje, ką aš darau, bet mano modus operandi nėra išimtinai menininkas“. Ši citata atrodo apibendrina produktyvią jėgą, slypinčią už João Paulo Feliciano, vizualiojo meno kūrėjo, muzikanto, dailininko, meno projektų rengėjo ir kultūros vadybininko, daugialypės veiklos. Bandant iš naujo sujungti meną ir gyvenimą, propaguojant populiariąją kultūrą ir reiškiant skirtingas menines kalbas per nepriklausomas ir papildančias ribas bei kūrybinės produkcijos sritis, šis menininko darbas visiškai užpildo išplėstas erdves, kurias aprėpia pasaulinės multimedijos.

João Paulo Feliciano visada ištiria ribas ir galimus trukdžius tarp meno kalbos ir populiariosios miesto kultūros aspektų. Kai yra suformuojami šiuolaikiniai požiūriai ir gyvenimo stilius, būtent paremti eksperimentinės dizaino ir muzikos apraiškų arba kai jie atsiranda dėl siūlomos sankirtos tarp meno ir ypatingos bendruomenės koncepcijos.

Viena iš daugialypės Feliciano veiklos sričių yra muzikos projektai. Jo muzikos projektai įtraukė tokias grupes kaip Tina and the Top Ten ir No Noise Reduction. Abi atliko pasirodymus plačiai per visą Portugaliją įvairiose vietose ir įkūrė legendinę avantgardinio roko grupę Sonic Youth Lisabonoje. Feliciano kūrinys vėliau turėtų būti naudojamas kaip alternatyvus viršelis Sonic Youth's Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star.

Toliau kalbant apie parodas, viena mėgiamiausių man Feliciano solo parodų yra „Muzikos pamokos“, parodyta 2008 metais. 2009 metais ši paroda pasirodė ir Lietuvoje kartu su Lauros Garbštienės paroda.

Dar viena garsi João Paulo Feliciano paroda/projektas „The Blues Quartet“.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tetl3VzUmvA

Tai garso ir šviesos skulptūra-instaliacija, nagrinėjanti jų tarpusavio fonetinio ir vzualinio meno sąsajas. Keturi skirtingi žibintai stovi vertikaliai stalo-scenos kampuose. Ant stalo dvi tamsiai mėlynos plokštumos susikirsdamos dalina erdvė į keturias dalis. Keturi žibintai mirksi reaguodami į muzikos grojimo garsą, sukurdamos atspindį, skaidrumą ir priešpriešas; nenusakoma šviesos, spalvos ir garso choreografija. Norėdami suprasti, koks nepakartojamas buvo šis darbas siūlau pasižiūrėti video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=276M7ppwDes

Tai tikrai manau ne viskas, ką João Paulo Feliciano gali parodyti. Laukime, kuo dar šis menininkas mus nustebins.