Portugal’s ‘Carnations Lady’ who gave name to 1974 revolution dies at 91

Lisbon: Celeste Caeiro, the Portuguese woman who handed out carnations to soldiers rebelling against a fascist dictatorship in a 1974 coup that became known globally as the Carnation Revolution, died on Friday. She was 91.

Her death, just months after the 50th anniversary of the nearly bloodless leftist coup, triggered an outpouring of sorrow and gratitude online and in official statements, with the Portuguese Communist Party remembering “comrade Celeste” as “a working woman with strong convictions”.

“Her generosity and friendliness will remain in everyone’s memory,” it said in a statement.

On April 25, 1974, the Lisbon restaurant where Caeiro worked was about to celebrate the anniversary of its opening and the owners had bought carnations for the mostly female staff. The military coup caused them to cancel the party and Caeiro was sent home and told to take the flowers with her.

In interviews over the years, she recalled how a young soldier asked her for a cigarette, which she didn’t have, so she gave him a carnation instead, and then handed more flowers to others soldiers who passed by.

Some put the flowers in the barrels of their rifles and even tanks, and soon flower vendors started offering more carnations to the rebels as photographers snapped pictures that made front pages around the world.

“The most beautiful moment of our democracy would not have been as beautiful without Celeste Caeiro. Thank you for everything,” journalist Helio Carvalho wrote on X.