The extraordinary diversity and chromatic wealth of the popular celebrations of Brazil are a reclamation for multitude of people of inside and outside, since all are welcomes, with a common denominator: the joy of the Brazilian, that in addition is transmitted. The mixture of the diverse populations: natives, targets and black have created an own personality, reflected in numerous of their celebrations, and by all means in most well-known at international level, the carnivals, that have their origin in mascaradas and the street rows of the carnivals of Portugal, although in Brazil have acquired another dimension with an own personality.
The main present manifestations of the Brazilian folklore are realized through the popular celebrations by all the country, are expresivas and rich of the world, pronouncing themselves in the songs, legend, dances, beliefs and in Literature.
They are common, in the popular celebrations based on the religious calendar, manifestations of afrocristianos sincretismos that found to “orixas of candomblé� with the catholic saints. Sometimes the celebrations agree with the lay, civil calendar.
 Next we indicated a selection of most representative:
January:
1º of January. - New Year. National celebration.
It is celebrated in all Brazil, it is a popular celebration, when everybody goes out to rate sambas, sauces or tropicalismos.
Of special way and world-wide known it is the fireworks spectacle that is celebrated in the Beach of Copacabana (Rio de Janeiro) which they incessantly illuminate the sky during 20 minutes, besides the spectacles of music in the sand and by the impressive mysticism of the Celebration of Iemanjá, celebration in which to flowers and other offerings to lemanjá are given (or JanaÃna), main orixá feminine, mother of Xangó, Iansa and considered Oxóssi queen of waters and siren of the sea.
In Juazeiro (Bay), procession of the Good Jesus of the Navigators, popular celebration of religious type accompanied by band. A fluvial procession with several boats of fishermen is realized in the São River Francisco, soon to give back the image from the Good Jesus to the Cathedral and to say the misa.
6 of January. - Epiphany. National celebration.
3 to 6 of January. - Celebration of the Kings in Carpina (Pernambuco)
7 of January. - Celebration of the Kings in Teresópolis (Rio de Janeiro), folkloric popular celebration, in which the children and young people get dressed target and request grants to the community, singing and playing like guitars, panderetas and others.
15 of January. - Celebration of Santo Amaro in Fields of the Goytacazes (Rio de Janeiro); regional celebration of religious type of santo of the baixada camper, in which a misa is celebrated, with payments of promises and baptisms. Also the representation of the fight between Moors and Christians is realized, well-known like caballada.
Secondly Thursday after the day of the Kings (6 of January): Celebration of the Bonfim. - it is celebrated in Salvador de Bahia, and it consists of the washing of the launching slips of the Church of the Gentleman of the Bonfim, that in the afrocristiano sincretismo, corresponds to Oxalá, the major of orixás, son of Olorúm, supreme being of mythology yoruba. One extends until Sunday.
24 of January to 2 of February. - celebrations of the religious celebration of Our Mr. of Nazaré, in Nazaré (Bay)
February:
2 of February. - Celebration of Iemanjá in Salvador (Bay): celebration of the religious State of type, in which fishermen and feligreses, a route by sea, offer flowers and gifts to Iemanjá, goddess of the sea. Tradition of candomblé.
2 of February. - Our Lady of the Navigators: it is the more traditional religious celebration of Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul), is celebrated from 1871, when santa became employer from the city. Also the same day is realized in the city of Lagoon (Rio Grande do Sul)
4 days before Wednesday of Ashes. - Carnival, considered like the greatest celebration of the world, the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro, is lived during five days of continuous frenzy. The midnight of Friday previous to Wednesday of Ash begins. That is to say, by the end of February and beginnings of March.
Although it is celebrated in the majority of the cities of the Brazil, most famous he is the one of Rio de Janeiro and probably followed of the one of Salvador de Bahia, that in the last years has acquired great relief, to a large extent his knowledge by the diffusion realized by Carlinhos Brown, emphasizes by the Electrical Trios and the “Blocos� that are touching, singing and dancing by the streets of Salvador, attracting thousands of people.
The Afoxé, can be celebrated throughout the year, is famous the celebrated one during the Carnivals of Salvador (Bay), consists of a courtship who happens through the streets, and from 1922 he is also celebrated in Strength (Ceará) and Rio de Janeiro. The participants sing in African, accompanied dialects of atabaques, agogos and noses. Due to his religious origin related to candomblé he is known like candomblé of street.
March/April:
The Easter can vary the dates following the year in which we are.
- Good Friday is national celebration.
Easter. - it is celebrated in the great majority of the populations of Brazil. We emphasize:
Representation of the death of Christ in the Easter. The majority of the Brazilian cities realizes processions that remember the last days of Christ and their resurrection. The city of Brejo of the Mother of God (Pernambuco), all the city is transformed into a theater theater box, where more than five hundred local actors they annually reviven the drama of the passion with different stagings, Thursday, Good Friday and the Saturday of Gloria.
Week of Passover (week after Easter):
The tradition of the rabbit and the eggs of Passover in Brazil beginning at the beginning of the past century. It was brought in 1913 by the emigrants German. The eggs are paschal symbols inspired by the Chinese custom to paint leg eggs to celebrate the life origin that leaves them. Like in other European countries, in Brazil also the characteristic chocolate eggs of Passover make, from 1834. The rabbit symbolizes fecundity.
Fair of the Caxixis in Nazaré (Bay) Event popular of type religious in that objects of ceramics of Maragogipiño are sold, considered the main center of production of artisan ceramics of Bay.
15 of April. - Celebrations of the Cavalhadas in Pirenópolis (GoÃas), realized 45 days after Easter, well-known celebrations internationally, are homonymous of the realized ones in Spain and allude or symbolize to the battles in which the Christians expelled the Moors.
21 of April. - Day of Tiradentes. National celebration, in which the death of Joaquin remembers Jose gives Whistles Xavier (Tiradentes), represented the maximum exponent in the fight by the independence of Brazil through the Mining Inconfidencia.
May:
1º of May. - Day of the Work. National celebration.
June:
Principles of the month. - Celebration of the Divine EspÃrito Santo, mixture of religious manifestation and profanes, established in Portugal by Reina Isabel, in century XIV. It later arrives two centuries at Parati (Rio de Janeiro), where it is celebrated with distribution of food the poor men. He conserves “ladainhasâ€? processions and Portuguese dances folkloric, like in the original celebrations, Alcántara (Maranhão) the participants represent personages of colonial Brazil and, by the tradition the emperor jails to somebody before the celebration, accusing it to bring about disorder In several municipalities of Bay the celebrations extend by ten days. They are celebrated generally at the beginning of the month of June, can occur that in some places that begin at the end of the month of May.
15 of June. - Cristi Corpus, national Celebration. The borders of the streets with figures of the catholic liturgy are adorned; done of red, flat flowers, foliages, sawdust, dust of coffee, sand, Florianópolis (Santa Catarina), Cabo FrÃo and Petrópolis (Rio de Janeiro), Matão, Ipitinga and São Manoel (Sao Paulo) stand out by careful ornamentations.
Juninas celebrations. - it is the traditional festival with which it is celebrated in Brazil to San Antonio, San Juan and San Pedro. As to his it indicates it name, it is celebrated in the month of June, month in which also it happens the winter solstice.
The cycle of festivals begins the 13 of June (celebration of San Antonio) continuing the 24 of June (celebration of San Juan) and finalizes the 29 of June (celebration of San Pedro).
One thinks that the festival was introduced by the Portuguese colonists that continued, in its new earth, the tradition to celebrate the solstice of summer in Europe.
It is a mainly rural celebration and it is celebrated with delicious meals, folk music, exhibitions, typical fires of artifice and dances around bonfires. The city of Mossoró, in the Brazilian N.E, is outstanding to organize the greater Celebrations juninas.
Festival folkloric of Bumba-Meu-Boi. - that is celebrated throughout the month in many zones of the country, especially in Sao Luis (Maranhao), Bethlehem (For), in different cities and populations of the State of Pernambuco and in Rio de Janeiro. This popular celebration that represents the history of the resurrection of an ox to save the life of the Father Francisco, in which all the public participates, since he is developed in the streets. Colorful ornamentations full of fantasies, typical choreographies and instruments. Juninas enters within the called celebrations.
Bumba is a traditional game of the celebrations juninas of Brazil, with personages dressed Indians and cattle tenders dancing and singing to are of zambombas, matracas, panderos and other instruments.
Special mention deserves the celebrated one in the city of Parintins (Amazon), is the greater spectacle of the region, also is a representation of bumba-meu-boi.
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Folk festival of Parintins (Amazonia) |
During these celebrations they interpret cantigas of stem, and traditional dances like xaxado are realized, covered EP-of-serra, choro and marchinha, between which juninas emphasizes quadrilhas, that they dance representing satires of the customs farmers. Also the linings are realized, organized traditional popular dances around crepitantes bonfires and they are consumed varied typical plates, like the cheese “of coalho�, the maize roast, the canjica, pamonha, brigadeiro, EP-of-moleque, the roasted meat, the meat-of-sun and all accompanying by good caipirinha.
22 and 24 of June. - Folkloric Festival of the Amazon in Manaus.
22 to 24 of June. - Celebration of San Juan in Cachoeira (Bay)
Julio:
Adamantine Divine celebration of in (Minas Gerais), that includes the procession of the Divine one, with figurantes evoking justice, carrying adorned flags and rods, besides redoblantes of boxes, local rise of spears, litanies, dances folkloric and a great lunch offered by the judges to the participants.
Regata de Jangadas Dragão of the Sea in Strength (Ceará).
August:
15 of August. - Celebration of Iemanjá in Strength (Ceará), to flowers and other offerings to lemanjá (or JanaÃna) are given, main orixá feminine, mother of Xangó, Iansa and considered Oxóssi queen of waters and siren of the sea.
Celebration of Our Lady gives to Gloria do Outeiro (Rio de Janeiro), is characterized by music, you silverplate colorful and a procession in the streets (15 of August).
Half-full of the month (after the 15 of August). - Celebration of Our Lady of Boa Morte in Cachoeira (Bay), the brothers of the Boa Morte are prepared in the house of the brotherhood before going to the misa that will precede to the procession.
Celebration of Aquiropita. - brought by the emigrants of Calabria (Italy), it is commemorated by the Italian colony in Sao Paulo, from the beginning of the century. At the moment it is realized in the main street of the main district of Bela Vista.
September:
7 of September. - Day of Independence, national celebration; in that Brazil commemorates the declaration, on the part of Don Pedro I, of the separation of the country of Portugal.
Second week. - Romeria Our Lady of the Dolores, santa employer of the city of Juazeiro of the North (Ceará), important nordestino religious center.
10 to the 19 of September. - Celebration of San Gennaro (Sao Paulo), in tribute to santo employer of the Italian colony of the district of Mooca celebrates, it with a typical procession, misa, music and dances in the street, around chiringuitos of meals.
Festival of Cirandas in Itamaracá (Pernambuco), ciranda is a popular dance that is realized in circle.
Caballada in Caeté (Minas Gerais),
October:
First week of October. - The Congadas, in the State of ParaÃba, descendants of slaves does congadas in tribute santa employer of the black, Our Lady of the Rosary. Black parades are commemorating the coronation of a king of the Congo, dances and original songs of Africa and the Iberian Peninsula.
5 to 22 of October. - Oktoberfest in Blumenau (Santa Catarina). Celebration of the German culture with musical representations, dances and gastronomical festival. Considered the greater manifestation of the sort after the Oktoberfest de Munich in Germany. At the same time as the Octoberfest, is realized a festival of rock, similar to Woodstock, Skol call Rock, in which diverse Brazilian bands participate. The Octoberfest attracts more than 1.5 million tourists per year.
The Oktoberfest reunites near 700 thousand people who consume an average of 500 thousand liters of of beer during the 18 days of festivals. Of the pavilions of the PROEB - Promotional Fundação of Exposições de Blumenau - the celebration extends by the streets. Street 15 of November is invaded by parades of the clubs and sport, recreational and cultural societies of the city.
12 of October. - Day of Our Appeared Lady of (national celebration), is the employer of Brazil. Thousands of faithfuls arrive that day, of all Brazil to Appeared of the North (Sao Paulo), to attend the misas, processions and visits to the basilica. It is the greater religious concentration of the country.
Day of Our Lady of the Rosary in Cachoeira (Sao Paulo).
Secondly Sunday of October. - celebration of the Wax candle of Nazareth, realized festive procession from 1791, in Belem (For). The origin of the celebration is, according to the believers, a miracle happened at the beginning of century XVIII: the image of Our Mr. of Nazareth disappears, in wood, that the woodcutter mulato Placid Jose de Souza maintains in his house, days later, reappears in the place of always. The paraenses give to the Wax candle of Nazareth an importance equivalent to the one of Christmas, preparing a dinner with typical plates, interchange gifts and the workers are used to gaining a similar allowance to the one of the Christmas gift. Faithfuls of all Brazil become presents, to request thanks or to pay by the fulfilled promises.
All the Sundays of October. - Celebration gives Penha in Rio de Janeiro, is one of the majors and more popular festivals of religious nature of the large city.
November:
1 and 2 of November. - RomerÃa of CÃcero father (1844-1934), considered miraculous santo in spite of to be suspended by the authorities of the catholic church by heresy, is celebrated in Juazeiro of the North (Ceará).
2 of November. - All the Saints, national celebration.
15 of November. - Day of the Proclamation of the Republic, national celebration; it is the commemoration of the aim of the empire and the beginning of the republican era.
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Day of the Proclamation of the Republic |
December:
4 to 6 of December. - Celebration of Santa Barbara. Religious celebration.
8 of December. - Celebration of Our Lady of Conception. The religious celebration in Recife begins one week before the 08/12, with celebration of misas, novenas, prayer of thirds and peregrination to the hill.
At the same time, also the Celebration of Iemanjá is commemorated, but like part of afrobrasileros cults.
Celebration of the Fandangos. - it is mainly celebrated in the north and the northeast of Brazil. In the Christmas period, personages dressed sailors sing and dance to are of stringed instruments. In the south, it is typical celebration of the fishermen and “caboclos� of the paranense coast. The fandangos are near thirty regional rural dances, divided in two groups the searches, exclusive right for men, characterized by zapateo he will be and boisterous and the valsadas ones, or dancing, in which the pairs drag the feet in the ground.
Celebration of the Quilombos. - it is celebrated mainly in the Christmas period and in the Northeast of Brazil, it is a dramatic staging with dances and songs, one looks for to reconstruct the Quilombos that were nuclei populated by fugitive black slaves in century XVII. Two guerillas one of Indians and another one of aquilombados black are represented. The payable black, are taken in celebration by the streets, where they are sold or changed by candies.
25 of December. - Day of Christmas. National celebration.
26 of December. - The Congadas, is black parades in the day of San Benedicto, commemorating the coronation of a king of the Congo. They are dances and original songs of Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. The Congadas more known is the one of Lapa, those of some municipalities of Santa Catarina and those of some old gold regions in Minas Gerais.
31 of December. - Last day of the year, celebrated enough in all the country.
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