The national holidays in Brazil are New Year's Day,
Carnival, Good Friday, Tiradentes Day, Labor Day, Corpus Christi,
Independence Day, Our Lady of Aperecida, All Souls' Day, Republic Day, and Christmas.
Some states have additional holidays.
Several of the holidays have special national songs which children are
required to learn in school.
New Year's Day, January 1.
Feliz Ano Novo!
Carnival Monday, Monday before Lent.
The Monday of Carnival week is a national holiday.
Last day of Carnival, Shrove Tuesday.
The day before Ash Wednesday is Shrove Tuesday—also called Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday
in the United States. This is the last day of Carnival and is a national holiday.
Ash Wednesday, 46 days before Easter.
The first day of Lent.
A half-day holiday.
Good Friday, Friday before Easter.
It is traditional to have fish with the main meal.
Easter Sunday, a Sunday in March or April.
Easter Monday is not a holiday in Brazil.
Corpus Christi, sixty days after Easter.
Tiradentes Day, April 21.
Commemorates the execution of national hero Joaquim José da Silva Xavier,
a conspirator in the 1789 revolt against the Portuguese. Xavier, a dentist by trade,
was nicknamed Tiradentes, or tooth-puller.
Labor Day, May 1.
Independence Day, September 7.
Anniversary of declaration of independence from Portugal by Dom Pedro in 1822.
Nossa Senhora de Aperecida, October 12.
Our Lady of Aperecida. Patron saint of Brazil.
All Souls' Day, November 2.
Republic Day, November 15.
Anniversary of the proclamation of 1889 which removed Dom Pedro from power.
Christmas Eve, December 24.
A half-day holiday.
Christmas, December 25.
Feliz Natal!
Back in the Middle Ages the celebration of Jesus Christ's birthday was
set in December to replace pagan festivals of the winter solstice,
but in Brazil it is the middle of summer and Papai Noel (Santa Claus)
must wear shorts.
New Year's Eve, December 31.
It is traditional for women to wear a new white dress to a New Year's Eve party.
A half-day holiday.
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