Events
New Year's Day is known as Ano Nove (Portuguese) locally, but is probably more famously known as Revillon. Whilst
the whole country celebrates New Year's Day, as with most major festivals in Brazil, the place to be on New Year's Day is
Rio de Janeiro; where anywhere up to 2 million people gather to party all night and day.
At Copacabana Beach, there is some of the best fireworks and live music in
South America.
One of the most important religious ceremonies in Salvador de Bahia takes place on the third Thursday in January when hundreds of women in traditional Bahian dress form a procession and carry perfumed water to wash the church's steps; 800,000 people accompany them.
As with all festivals held in Rio, it is another spectacular occasion.
The city of São Paulo is Brazil's largest and over 20 million people celebrate this day.
 Carnival Rio (late February - early March)
Carnival Rio lasts for 5 days from the Friday to the Tuesday immediately preceding Ash Wednesday. Although the
most famous events during the 5 days of Carnival are the Rio Carnival, events celebrating Carnival take place all over the country.
Visitors to Brazil should take into consideration that all 5 days of Carnival are public holidays all over Brazil; therefore most
shops will be closed during the period covering Carnival. Traditionally, this is also the culmination of the Brazilian summer
holidays and Carnival Rio also marks the end of the long school holidays (which start in December). As a result, travel during
Rio Carnival time can be difficult.
As Brazil is mostly a Roman Catholic nation, Good Friday is
a national holiday in Brazil.
Easter Sunday, following Good Friday is a holiday in
Brazil, but Easter Monday is not.
Tiradentes Day in Brazil is a day to remember
the execution of the Brazilian national hero Joaquim Jose da Silva Xavier; a co-conspirator in the 1789 revolt against the
Portuguese.
This holiday gets its name "Tiradentes", which means "Tooth-puller", from the fact that Xavier was a
dentist.
Commemorates the day in 1500 on which Brazil is said to
have been discovered by Pedro Alvarez Cabral.
As in many other countries in the world, Labor Day is celebrated in Brazil
on May 1 and is one of the national holidays in Brazil.
Another of the Brazilian holidays signifying its close
association with the Roman Catholic Church.
Anyone who is familiar with Valentine's Day will know
this festival. It is exactly the same, it is only celebrated on a different date.
Dom Pedro officially declared Brazil's independence from Portugal on this day in 1822.
Nossa Senhora de Aperecida is the patron
saint of Brazil and this national holiday in Brazil is dedicated to her.
As with other traditional Roman Catholic
countries, All Souls' Day is a public holiday in Brazil.
Republic Day is celebrated in Brazil to remember the
day in 1889 when Dom Pedro was removed from power.
Christmas in Brazil officially starts on December 24,
which is a half-day holiday. Christmas Day itself is locally known as Feliz Natal. Those deciding to celebrate Christmas in
Brazil should note that Christmas is actually the height of the summer season here.
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