Another Lucky Chicken

I stopped by Inkling a gift store in my neighborhood that has some vintage items for sale and was immediately captivated by this rooster and his wonderful comb. He is standing on a blue base that says Portugal, so after I brought him home, I did a little research and found out that he is from the city of Barcelos but that he has come to symbolize Portugal as a whole and is sometimes referred to as a good luck rooster.

There is a legend about the Rooster of Barcelos and here from https://www.kinashi-san.com/post/the-legend-of-the-rooster-of-barcelos is the short version of the legend:

“The legend of this rooster dates back to the Middle Ages. It begins with a pilgrim on his way to Santiago de Compostela. He had the misfortune to stop off in Barcelos, when the town was hit by a series of robberies and burglaries. The pilgrim is accused of being a criminal and sentenced to hang. As a last request, the poor man asked to see the judge, who was about to enjoy a rooster. He promised that if he was innocent, the animal would come back to life and start crowing. And it did.”

It is considered good luck to place the rooster with its head facing the entrance door “to bring blessings and ward off negative energies from entering the home,” but I love the way he looks from the side so that is how he is positioned in our home.