Carnation revolution icon Celeste Caeiro passes away at 91
A sad piece of news appeared on platform X about Celeste Caeiro's death. The Portuguese woman made her mark on her country's modern history, as her accidental gesture became one of the icons of the Carnation Revolution in 1974. She passed away on Friday in Lisbon at the age of 91.
On Friday, November 15, a sombre announcement spread across Portugal about the death of one of the most significant women in the country's modern history. Celeste Caeiro passed away at the age of 91 in Lisbon, and her gesture became a symbol of one of the most important revolutions in the country's and the world's history.
The woman's death was confirmed by her granddaughter Carolina via platform X and by the authorities of the Portuguese Communist Party, to which Caeiro belonged. It was she who, on April 25, 1974, initiated the symbolism of the carnation in the peaceful revolution against dictatorship.
On that day, Caeiro was carrying white and red carnations to the restaurant where she worked, intending to give them to customers. However, due to an ongoing military coup, the place was closed. Instead of returning home, she distributed the flowers to soldiers she met on the streets of Lisbon.
The creator of the symbol of the Carnation Revolution has died
Soldiers, appreciating her gesture, began placing carnations in the barrels of their rifles. This symbol of peaceful resistance quickly became the key emblem of the revolution that led to the overthrow of Antonio Salazar's right-wing dictatorship, which had ruled the country since the 1920s.
In later years, Caeiro admitted that her action was accidental but became an important symbol for the entire nation. The Carnation Revolution also initiated many global changes, as it began decolonizing countries that Portuguese authorities had ruled until then.
