Madeira Island: a stunning Portuguese island that lies well off the Atlantic coast where the Gulf Stream affords it a mild and equable year round climate. Located 1600 kilometres from the mainland, this remote part of Portugal is known for wine, gastronomy, historical and cultural values, flora, fauna and lush landscapes like UNESCO-designated World Heritage site Laurisilva of Madeira (laurel forest). 

 

 

Madeira is also known for its fireworks. The tradition of the Madeira fireworks dates back to the seventeenth century. It all started with bonfires that were lit each New Year’s Eve, illuminating Madeiran homes and filling them with colour and light. Later in the eighteenth century, the English community introduced the launch of a firework rocket to mark the end of one year and the beginning of another. Jump forward 100 years when banker Madeiran João José Rodrigues Leitão revived the tradition by influencing the island’s wealthy families to compete with one another; promoting a display of fireworks that spread to the higher areas of the city. At the time, the fireworks went on through the night, extending the New Year’s celebrations.