Time: Second Sunday in October
Venue: Praça Justo Chermont, Belém, Brazil
Every year Brazil hosts the Cirio De Nazare festival in the honor of Our Lady of Nazareth. People from all over the country come to the main port of Belem because this is where it is celebrated with utmost faith and festivities.
Originated in Portugal, legends claim that The Virgin saved a nobleman who had fallen off his horse and as soon as the story spread across the Amazonian region of Belem, She was considered to be another miraculous intervention. The locals started to adore her and in her honor, the Cirio De Nazare festival is hosted in Belem. Over time, it has become one of the most important celebrations in entire Brazil. People gathering for this celebration follow a statue of Virgin Mary which is pulled along with the procession on a chariot. The chariot is well- decorated with Amazon flowers along the entire way starting from the Belem Cathedral to the Nazare Basilica, which is approximately 3.6 kilometers. Here, the statue of Our Lady of Nazareth is kept on display for two weeks after which it is brought back to the Belem Cathedral.
The popular procession of Cirio De Nazare takes place in the month of October on the second Sunday with the celebrations lasting for almost the entiremonth. It creates a general carnival atmosphere in Brazil with food, music and dance.
