Regional/Cultural Day
Dia da Liberdade
While this commemorates Portugal's 1974 revolution that ended dictatorship, in Timor it has special meaning: the revolution freed Portugal's colonies and set in motion Timor's own independence movement. Portugal's Carnation Revolution didn't just topple a dictator : it accidentally launched Timor's independence. When Lisbon's new government said "colonies can choose," Timor said "independence," and Indonesia said "not so fast." The carnation that freed Portugal also seeded Timor's 24-year agony.