“Where Islands Speak Through Art and History – From the Heart of the Azores to the Diaspora”

Almanacs

Almanacs were already known to ancient peoples, but they were widely distributed only after the invention of the printing press. In Portugal, they became popular in the late 18th century, flourished in the 19th century, and reached their peak in the early 20th century. Almanacs are consumed by all social classes because they convey information that is easy to read, making them an enjoyable pastime. There are almanacs of various types and scopes, from literary and political to satirical and bawdy, with national, regional, or local circulation.

In the Azores, in the first half of the 19th century, some leaflets similar to almanacs were published: Folhinha da Terceira (1831), Folhinha Açoreana (1841), and Folhinha Açoreana Michaelense (1843). The first known almanac was published in 1851 by the Sociedade Promotora da Agricultura Michaelense (Society for the Promotion of Agriculture in São Miguel) and was called Almanach Rural dos Açores. In the following decade, other almanacs appeared, published mainly in the cities of the archipelago. Some were distributed only on the island where they were printed, while others covered the archipelago and even emigrant communities. The structure of the main almanacs is similar: they open with the calendar for the year in question and indicate public holidays and national and municipal holidays. This is followed by information important to the general public, a wide variety of statistical data, historical topics, prose and poetry, biographies, some literary criticism, anecdotes, riddles, charades, and even recipes. Many of them contain advertisements for commercial and industrial establishments. The number of pages varies between 20 and 300.

Of the almanacs published in the Azores, the following titles are listed with their respective publication start dates, ordered chronologically and by island: S. Miguel – Almanach Rural dos Açores (1851), Almanach Açoriano (1854), Almanach do Arquipélago dos Açores (1865), Almanach Económico dos Açores (1866), Almanach Anti-jesuita (1867), Almanach das Belas Artes (1868), Almanach Popular dos Açores (1870), Almanaque das Ratices da Tia Genoveva (1871), Almanach Açoriano de Lembranças (1871), Almanach Para Todos (1873), Almanac of the Azorean People (1875), Recreational Almanac (1877), Almanac of Pataco (1880), Curious Almanac (1881), Pearl of the Azores – Almanac (1882), Minerva Almanac (1883), Almanac of the “Popular Champion” (1889), Agricultural Almanac (1892), Republican Almanac of São Miguel (1893), Almanac of São Miguel (1925), Almanac of Families (1925), Almanac of the Azores (1926), Almanac of the Azores (1927), Almanac of the Azores (1928), Almanac of the Azores (1929), Almanac of the Azores (1930), Almanac of the Azores (1931), Almanac of the Azores (1932), Almanac of the Azores (193 (1889), Agricultural Almanac (1892), Republican Almanac of São Miguel (1893), Yearbook Almanac of São Miguel (1925), Almanac of Families (1928), Almanac of São Miguel (1933), Popular Almanac of the Azores (1950) and the Almanac of Families (1952); Terceira – Almanac Económico e Noticioso – O Maragato da Terceira (1865), Almanac Insulano (1873), Almanac (untitled) – Folhinha da Terceira (1877), Almanac – O Progressista (1879), Almanak das Curiosidades (1880), Almanak da Sociedade Cooperativa de Consumo de Angra do Heroísmo (1883), Almanak Bijou (1886), Almanak Açoriano (1887), Almanach Praiense (1887), Almanak (Novo) das Gargalhadas (1889), Almanak (New) Infantil (1889), Almanaque Açores (1903), Almanaque A Cruz (1916), Almanaque do Camponez (1917), Almanaque do Semeador (1926), Almanaque Desportivo (1952), Almanaque O Archipélago (1963), Almanaque Anuário Terceirense (1960) and Almanaque Anuário Ilhéu (1973); Faial – Almanak Fayalense, Almanaque do Tio Braz and Almanak de Luz, all in 1872, Almanach Hortense (1900) and Almanaque Açoriano Ilustrado (1901); S. Jorge – Almanach Jorgense (1920), Almanaque S. Jorge (1929) and Almanaque Insular (1936); Santa Maria – O Sacristão e o Sineiro das cidades e Vilas e Aldeias (1933).

The lifespan of the almanacs varied greatly: some lasted only one year, such as Belas Artes; others lasted more than 20 years, such as Famílias, Anuário Micaelense, and Camponez; Almanaque Açores was the longest-lived, being published for half a century. A survey of the almanacs published in the Azores shows that the late 19th century was a period of great expansion for these publications, which then gradually declined throughout the 20th century. Carlos Enes (Nov. 1995)

Bibl. Canto, E. (1890-1900), Biblioteca Açoriana. Ponta Delgada, Typ. do Arquivo dos Açores, 2 vols. Marques, A. H. O. (1981), Guia de História da 1.ª República Portuguesa. Lisbon, Ed. Estampa. Moura, A. V. C. (1982), The Almanac in the Azores (1851-1981). Ponta Delgada, University of the Azores (mimeographed). Radich, M. C. (n.d.), Almanac – Times and Knowledge. Coimbra, Centelha.

From Enciclopédia Açoriana

https://www.culturacores.azores.gov.pt/ea/pesquisa/Default.aspx?id=3164