“Dia da Espiga” (roughly translated to Day of the Wheat) is a Portuguese tradition dating back centuries and is believed to have originated from an ancient Pagan ritual. In some parts of the country this day is declared a holiday and the tradition is to go for a morning walk in the countryside to pick a variety of wildflowers, various grains (wheat, oats etc) and olive branches to form a bouquet which you then hang behind your front door and should only be replaced the following year by a fresh bouquet. The various plants in the bouquet all have different meanings and bring with them their various fortunes… wheat symbolises bread, poppies for love and life, daisies for gold and silver, olive branches for peace, light and olive oil, rosemary for health and strength. We picked our own “espiga” but we also saw lots of different interpretations for sale at our local farmers market, for those who don’t have time for a morning walk.