By Matthew McLaughlin

When commuters ride the rails of Boston, they may make references to ‚ÄúCharlie of the MTA‚Äù and ‚Äúriding the T.‚Äù But most don’t realize one Portuguese American snuck a piece of his heritage onto every train in the country.

Fatima Soares said Portuguese immigrants first came to America as far back as the 1800’s, when whaling and fishing jobs attracted people from the nation famous for sailing. Several periods of unrest and a volcano eruption in the Azores increased immigration to places such as Massachusetts and California, where one anonymous Portuguese American working on trains contributed to the American vernacular, she said.

‚ÄúWhen they were finished with the rail line, the Portuguese worker went to the last train booth and said ‘acabou-se,’ which means ‘I’m finished’ in Portuguese,‚Äù Fatmia said. The name stuck and now the last train cart is commonly known as a ‚Äúcaboose.‚Äù

This is one of the many bits of history and trivia residents learned during a Portuguese and Brazilian heritage celebration Wednesday at the Somerville Museum.  The night of music, food and history was the culmination of a year long study on behalf of the Somerville Arts Council to better serve Brazilian and Portuguese residents, said Greg Jenkins, Arts Council chairman.

Andrea Allen spent a year attending Brazilian and Portuguese festivals and events and interviewing people on behalf of the Arts Council. She said she thought the survey was important to ensure that two important demographics in Somerville were  represented.

‚ÄúWe see this as the first step to understanding each other’s cultures,‚Äù she said.

The evening featured musical and dance performances from Brazilian and Portuguese groups. Fatima Soares and her daughter Melanie participated in a traditional Portuguese folk dance, donning attire from the turn of last century.  Both said they are proud of their heritage and strive to teach people, Portuguese and non-Portuguese, about their history.

‚ÄúIt defines who we are,‚Äù Melanie Soares said. ‚ÄúIt is important for future generations to know where we came from..  We also want people to know that we are here.  The Portuguese community is alive and well.‚Äù

The celebration also featured Brazilian performers who played Samba and Bossa Nova music. Regina Bertholdo, a Brazilian immigrant and resident of Somerville for 23 years, said she is proud the Arts Council chose her culture to honor as well as the Portuguese culture.

‚ÄúI feel this validates our culture,‚Äù she said. ‚ÄúIt brings us to the light and  reaches other cultures as well.‚Äù Bertholdo said she thinks it is important for all cultures to know a little bit about each other.

“I feel honored that they chose Brazilian and Portuguese culture, but it is good to learn about every culture,” she said.

In her year studying both cultures, Allen said she had several findings that she hopes will help the Arts Council represent both cultures better in the future.  She said she found there is a small but growing generational gap of heritage between Portuguese immigrants and their children. She also found that many Brazilian immigrants do not necessarily identify with many Brazilian themed events. Some actually prefer music from the American Jazz scene or don’t feel represented in some Brazilian events due to the country’s own diversity.

Allen also suggested to the Arts Council to have an oral history project involving Brazilian and Portuguese youth who interview their parents and grand parents for the project.  Events like this and further involvement in all of Somerville’s diverse community will help create a stronger, prouder Somerville, Bertholdo said.

“Somerville is a microcosm of the world,” she said. “The more we know about each other, the more we will respect and value each other.”