What is Círio de Nazaré? Everything to know about the Brazilian festival

Brazil’s Círio de Nazaré festival was added to UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013. It’s one of the most celebrated cultural and religious events in the country, bringing together around two million people in one morning. Yet, compared to Rio Carnival, the festival is barely known. Here’s an overview of the key things you need to know about it.

The origins of Círio de Nazaré trace back to a historic statue of the Virgin Mary, known as Nossa Senhora de Nazaré (Our Lady of Nazareth), that was created in Israel and is considered to be an original object from the first centuries of Christianity. The statue then left Israel and arrived in Portugal in the 8th century. Brazil’s religious devotion was inherited from its Portuguese colonisers in the 1700s, with the best-known tradition stating an Indigenous man discovered a replica of the statue in a stream near Belém, a city in the state of Pará. Ever since 1793, pilgrims have travelled from across the country to Belém in honour of this image of the Virgin Mary.

The wooden image of Nossa Senhora de Nazaré is carried in glass-enclosed box (Shutterstock)

Ribbons decorate the Cathedral of Our Lady of Nazareth (Shutterstock)

Although the celebrations start in August, the festivities culminate on the second Sunday of October every year when the wooden statue of Nossa Senhora de Nazaré is placed in a golden, flower-decorated carriage, and pulled along by thousands of people and a 400-metre long thick rope during an enormous morning procession.

Many people taking part queue up for hours before the procession begins in order to lay their hands on the rope, as it represents the connection between the saint and her followers. The event is known to be extremely crowded, with many barefoot believers scrambling to get some kind of grip on the rope. They walk from Sé Cathedral to Sanctuary Square in Belém, with the 3.5km journey taking several hours to complete. Most residents of the city get involved, and believers travel from across the country, and the world, to join the procession. Círio de Nazaré concludes two weeks later, when the statue is carried back to the cathedral.

Several other processions take place as part of the festivities. Nossa Senhora de Nazaré is the patron saint of sailors, so boats are an important symbol. On the Saturday before the main procession, a fleet of boats take to the river, carrying the statue of the saint into the city.

Brazil is represents a multicultural society, so many cultures are celebrated during the festival. For example, a fair takes place at Basilica de Nazare, where handicrafts, such as toys made with palm wood, are sold, and food stalls dish out hot Amazonian cuisine.

Photographers scramble to capture the Nossa Senhora de Nazaré (Shutterstock)

Thousands take to the streets for the procession (Shutterstock)

The Círio de Nazaré procession now takes place in various locations across Brazil, as descendants of Belém have moved away and brought the tradition with them. Belém still hosts the largest celebrations by far, but there are now significant events in the north, including Rio Branco, Macapá and Maunas.