The air in Lisbon on April 25th crackled with a vibrant energy, a palpable sense of joy and liberation. It was Carnation Day (“Dia dos Cravos”), the anniversary of the peaceful 1974 revolution that ushered in democracy to Portugal. Streets once marked by oppression now overflowed with people, a sea of smiling faces holding aloft the iconic red carnations that symbolize this pivotal moment in history.