Women with a bold temperament, without beating around the bush or mincing words, and with the aura of being the owners of the entire street, carried their fish in a basket on their heads.
“Oh, long live the coast.
Look at the sardine, it's alive on the coast.
There are beautiful horse mackerel and sardines.
There is fresh horse mackerel, look at the horse mackerel for the cat.
Oh customer, come down below.
Hey customer, take a block, my sardines are fresh.
I have beautiful chicharro, horse mackerel, fine hake.”
Fishing as part of the Economy
In a country nestled by the sea, Portugal's fishing tradition seems truly timeless. It has always been one of our main economic activities, in a country where the coastline is abundant, both in length and in marine life, and where estuaries, lagoons, and marshes naturally formed are plentiful. Under these conditions, not only fishing but also activities such as shipbuilding, ropemaking, cooperage, and salt extraction became a vital part of an economy largely based in its coastal zone. With these arts emerged their protagonists, and with fishing practices came not only fishermen, naturally, but also a figure who seemed not born to be secondary: the varina.
The Origin
Originating from the Beira Litoral region, street fish vendors date back to the 19th century, and it was in Lisbon that they began to truly attract attention, with their distinctive costumes and loud cries that capture the attention of even the most inattentive passerby. Within the male-dominated public sphere of the time, street vendors earned their place, one of charm and respect, on their own merit, with their assertive, unprejudiced demeanor, and their unassuming, lively nature.
Lisbon of other times: the origin of varinas (ncultura.pt)
Lisbon of other times: the origin of varinas (ncultura.pt)
Exuberances and Migrations
Their mannerisms also left their mark on the social imagination. António Miranda, from the Lisbon Museum, describes: "(...) they create a very particular atmosphere in Beira Rio. On the one hand, there's a certain exuberance, an exuberance in the community's walk, especially a very feminine one. In the way they sway their hips, in the way they speak, in their chanted proclamation. (...) And in the constant shouting in which, in fact, life in Beira Rio developed." Originally called ovarinas, these women were mostly from Ovar and other towns in the Aveiro district and came to Lisbon in search of work. Only later did time drop the first letter of their name (thus also obscuring the origin of these migrants), and their name was simplified to standardize the trend of a lifestyle that crossed its initial borders to spread throughout the country.
The fishing villages, on the river/seafront
Once settled in the neighborhoods of Madragoa and Alfama, among others, their work generally began when the fishermen, often their husbands or other immediate family members, finished their work. These families largely settled in fishing villages—communities that gained increasing prominence as the Portuguese tradition of the sea and fishing developed—with their small storage shacks for fishing gear, sun-worn benches used while mending nets, and, in short, small, picturesque dwellings with nautical carvings and a purely practical purpose for those who made their living on or through the sea. Fishing villages quickly "emerged" from the capital, and today we can find hundreds of examples scattered along the Portuguese coast. X-arqWeb (cm-lisboa.pt)
The Costume
The costumes were an integral part of the varina's role, as important as her vocal virtues. Carlos Cardoso, from the blog Trajes de Portugal , provides an impeccable description: " Her costume is perfectly suited to her role: a cotton blouse, a long, wide skirt, and a striped apron. To hold up the skirt, adapting to her height, or her belly, when pregnant, she wears a cloth sash around her hips. On her head, a woolen cloth scarf and a felt hat with a small, upturned brim to catch the drips that fall from the basket. On her feet, usually barefoot, she wears wooden clogs and black sheepskin. In winter, she wears a thick woolen shawl that crosses over her chest and ties at the back to allow for arm mobility."
The Profile
Women of bold temperament, without mincing words or "mincing their words," and with the aura of rulers of the entire street, they carried their basket of fish on their heads, and their hand on their waist is already an iconic image of their identity. On the street, their presence was more than noticed—it was notorious—and their cries and quick responses captivated them with fascination and, thus, became a source of inspiration for countless artistic mediums—including the Flower Carpets mentioned here —that made a point of immortalizing this true symbol, not only of Lisbon, but also of Portugal and timelessness.
MNAC: The varinas (museuartecontemporanea.gov.pt)
The Profile
António Miranda further profiles them: "This character of the street vendor ends up arriving in a gray, very conservative world, and the way she behaves on the street goes against all the norms the city is accustomed to. Obviously, we're not talking about the women of the night; here we're talking about a working-class community that appropriates this urban space as its territory, its natural territory. That makes all the difference."
In the voice(s) themselves...
Accounts from modern-day fishmongers reveal the changes that the times and their living conditions have undergone, and with them, the figure of the varina (fishmonger) has also changed, now relegated to the market and increasingly distant from its former personification: "In the past, it was the basket on the head, then it moved to the cart. Now we have the market in Ovar. Someone would get up at 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. for us to walk to Furadouro to collect the fish, with the basket on her head," recalls a former varina, nostalgic for bygone times and customs.
Lisbon: The Varinas – Endless Mile
Collections and Products
To honor this very symbol, Letheshome created the Varinas Floridas collection (see it here ) and produced two cushion cover designs with a direct reference to the varinas. The collection is available in items for your table, living room, kitchen, and bedroom, as well as the much-loved traditional scarves and (more contemporary) tote bags . The collection quickly became a bestseller , proving the appreciation and fascination that the national public has for these charming figures. "Oh varina, pass, pass first! You are the flower of the race, The most serious grace Of the entire country."
We strongly recommend watching the following documentary, produced by Lisbon City Council, where we can find a huge range of audiovisual and documentary sources about the figure of the varina as a woman, mother, worker and, undoubtedly, a symbol of the capital and the country itself.
Lisbon of other times: the origin of varinas (ncultura.pt)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-9v4GFS_EA
