As Blue Monday 2025 looms, with its self-fulfilling prophecy of gloom and doom (basically the worst day of the year, as a perfect storm of financial, emotional and sociological factors come together), we here will not be tolerating any such nonsense. And Portugal, with the help of the Good Morning Portugal! Show, will be leading the way.
No, Segunda Azul is not for us. Instead, prepare for, and please partake in, ‘Green and Red Monday’ – a beacon of down-to-earth positivity and gratitude, shining for the rest of a potentially wallowing world to see.
If all goes well, we might go down in history as the people who, from January 21 onwards, had others ask: “What’s Green and Red, and loved all-over?” And the answer will be: “Portugal, of course!” With its enviable lifestyle that’s an antidote to the glum, numb and inner grumpy bum.
The ‘Blue Monday’ concept, though widely dismissed as pseudoscience or a PR stunt, I suspect endures because it is relatable and makes some sense in our own lived experience as complex human beings.
People can be brought down by seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and finances can be tighter when the new year begins, following possible overspending and indulgence in the preceding month. Resolutions are made and broken, and high hopes may meet with down-to-earth realities, as has already been seen, even in just the first couple of weeks of our ano novo.
And of course, this year of all years, will be especially challenging for some American friends who can’t even speak the name of their new President, let alone welcome him into office on this very day, already dubbed the “saddest day of the year”. This, by electrical and electronic retailers Worten, who might just want you to drown any seasonal sorrows you have with some retail therapy.
They go on to explain that, “in English, the term ‘blue’ is an expression used to express discouragement and unhappiness”. Although when I was a boy, it also referred to a certain kind of movie, upon which we need not dwell. And for our Democrat party-supporting acquaintances, this will most certainly NOT be a Blue Monday, when it comes to political colour.
“The creation of this day only took place in 2005,” add Worten, “but the expression ‘Blue Monday’ was already used long before that date.” One example is New Order’s upbeat little ditty of the same name, from 1983, which they say took inspiration, in turn, from an illustration by Kurt Vonnegut in the book Breakfast of Champions, whose central character is named ‘Hurty’. I kid you not.
And let’s not forget Fats Domino’s “Blue Monday” tune of 1957, should you be putting together a playlist to get you dancing your way towards a more cheerful February and, fingers crossed, the first signs of Spring. Talking of dancing, and bringing us back home, Portugal’s own Blue Monday Festival will have just concluded. A chance, organisers say, to “dance in the rain in Portugal” where Lindy Hop fans will have indulged themselves in their favourite music and movement genres, with the expressed intention to “free us from the blues”.
Suffice to say then that Blue Monday is a thing, more or less, and what remains is the effort of shunning its worst effects and taking evasive action. How then to not worry and “be happy”, when the whiff of misery hangs heavy in the air, and with so many invitations to subscribe to the negative vibe.
Staying with US politics and culture, as we scour the landscape for smiles and relief, we can also welcome the new American ambassador to Portugal, John Arrigo, into his new role. Should you be suspicious of his allegiances and suitability for the task, you can’t fail to be amused by his portrayal of an elf in one of his car commercials, can you? You see, there’s a little grin on your face already, upon which we can build, even if his outfit and hair are not exactly the green and red I have in mind, to further delight you and build your sucky segunda immunity.
The green and red I speak of are, of course, those featured in the Portuguese national flag – emblematic and respectful of this country’s past (vermelho, red), whilst remaining optimistic about its future (verde, green). This is the kind of message the world needs on a Blue Monday when down in the dumps. Let’s not only personify these values but share them – bold, loud and proud – like that other noble national treasure, the Barcelos cockerel would.
Join me, friends, and share what you love about life here in that logically impossible way that the Portuguese have of having pride and humility in each individual heart, wherever stationed in the world. Tell the world how grateful you are to be here, not to annoy or gloat, but to strike a chord of contentment and hold the line of levity, such that others, whose domes may drop, might know where to return, when their weary heads can be lifted once more.
Go ahead and partake fully and freely in our gift to the world’s mental health with Green and Red Monday, by sending pictures of your favourite things about life in Portugal to my studio hotline, and I will do my best to feature as many of them as possible on (hopefully, formerly) Blue Monday, the 20th.
And on a serious and psychotherapeutic note, if you are finding this time of the year tough, when the shortest days combine with colder weather and damp conditions, plus a notable lack of Portuguese sunshine, do join us in the mornings for some uplift and positivity. I can’t guarantee to cheer you up, as I believe that’s an ‘inside job’, but I, and the regulars who tune in, will endeavour to share the lighter side of life with you, and provide some fertile soil in which your joy beans can germinate and grow.
Get your pics, and even videos, to the Good Morning Portugal! WhatsApp number (00 351) 913 590 303
By Carl Munson
Carl Munson is host of the Good Morning Portugal! show every weekday on YouTube and creator of www.learnaboutportugal.com, where you can learn something new about Portugal every day!
