It derives from the Latin word for solitude. It is a recollection of feelings, experiences, places, or events, often elusive, that cause a sense of separation from the exciting, pleasant, or joyous sensations they once caused.
In Brazil, the day of Saudade is officially celebrated on 30 January. The word saudade was used in the Cancioneiro da Ajuda 13th century , in the Cancioneiro da Vaticana and by poets of the time of King Denis of Portugal [7] reigned β Some specialists argue that the word may have originated during the Great Portuguese Discoveries , expressing and giving meaning to the sadness felt about those who departed on journeys to unknown seas and often disappeared in shipwrecks , died in battle, or simply never returned.
Those who stayed behindβmostly women and childrenβsuffered deeply in their absence. However, the Portuguese discoveries only started in ; since the word has been found in earlier texts, this does not constitute a very good explanation. The Reconquista also offers a plausible explanation. The state of mind has subsequently become a "Portuguese way of life": a constant feeling of absence, the sadness of something that's missing, wistful longing for completeness or wholeness and the yearning for the return of what is now gone, a desire for presence as opposed to absenceβas it is said in Portuguese, a strong desire to matar as saudades lit.
In the latter half of the 20th century, saudade became associated with the longing for one's homeland, as hundreds of thousands of Portuguese-speaking people left in search of better futures in South America, North America, and Western Europe.
Besides the implications derived from a wave of emigration trend from the motherland, historically speaking saudade is the term associated with the decline of Portugal's role in world politics and trade. During the so-called "Golden Age", synonymous with the era of discovery, Portugal rose to the status of a world power , and its monarchy became one of the richest in Europe.
