Festivals in Brazil - Festas de Cavalhadas

When people think of Brazilian festivals, they often think of Carnival. But in Brazil, countless and mostly very colorful festivities are celebrated throughout the year. To get to know the traditions on a trip to Brazil, local festivals are a wonderful opportunity to get in touch with the locals. The country's history and culture become tangible and the festivities provide individual experiences. Travelers who come to Brazil during the Whitsun season, should not miss a very special tradition, the horse shows of the Festas de Cavalhadas.

Brazil is culturally a colorful confluence of different populations, traditions and religions. Many of the Christian holidays and celebrations are celebrated throughout the country. At the same time, the procedures of the ceremonies vary in the regions and contain many elements of African rites, legends of the indigenous population and, of course, the traditions of the European immigrants. Among the latter is the tradition of the Festas de Cavalhadas.

These medieval jousting events are now a uniquely Brazilian ceremony, most often celebrated on Pentecost weekend at the Festival of the Divino, which can be traced back to the 13th century to the Portuguese Queen Isabel. It includes primarily religious activities such as masses, processions and novenas, and is accompanied by staged horse shows called Cavalhadas. This involves a re-enactment of the battle for supremacy of the Christian knights under Charlemagne over the Muslims known as Moors from Mauritania on the Iberian Peninsula. On a large battlefield, twelve Christian knights on horseback, dressed in blue, fight against twelve Moorish knights, dressed in red. The outcome of the battle is predetermined, however, so that the Christians always win impressively to publicly display the skill and bravery of the aristocrats.

This dramatic representation of religious battles was also introduced by the Jesuits in Brazil, to suggest the superiority and strength of the Christian religion to the supposed pagans and African slaves.

In the historic Pirenópolis, in the state of Goiás near Brasília, the Cavalhada has been celebrated particularly extensively since 1826. For three days, twelve warriors dressed up in medieval costumes gallop noisily through the streets on colorfully decorated horses. Afterward, there is a staged battle between the two groups of riders. Even if the outcome of the competition is already known and the supposedly Christian fighters always win, the local population cheers the riders on every year.

The Cavalhada in Poconé in the Pantanal is also one of the biggest cultural and artistic events in the state of Mato Grosso. At the tournament, the two groups of riders compete for the favor of the Queen of the Cavalhada, who watches over the proceedings from a grandstand. The tournament begins early in the morning, with the kidnapping of the king of the Moors from the Christians. It is followed by up to 40 different competitions, which were traditionally always won by the Christians. But in 2009 innovations were introduced, so that now the competition really takes place and the group of Moors also can win. After the surrender of the other group, peace is then declared.

The Cavalhada in Guarapuava in southern Brazil focuses on the medieval tradition of an equestrian tournament. The two groups of riders simulate fights, show their skills, carrying revolvers, swords and spears. They are musically accompanied by two music groups, which play either when they win or lose a competition. After the staged conversion of the Moors to Christianity, peace is concluded and the celebration can happily come to an end.
Other particularly beautifully staged Cavalhadas are celebrated in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Cazuza Ferreira, Vacaria, Mostardas, Santo Antonio da Patrulha and in Caçapava.

Particularly widespread in the south, southeast and midwest of the country, these colorful and entertaining festivals should not be missed on any Brazilian vacation. In many places, the tradition of the Cavalhada has broken away from the Festa do Divino and is also celebrated at other festivities outside of the Pentecost season, such as in Rio de Janeiro. Here, too, in Campo dos Goytacazes, about four hours from Copacabana, a Cavalhada is celebrated for the Festival of Santo Amaro in January.

Travelers can visit Cavalhadas along popular itineraries. Pirenópolis, for example, is centrally located, near the capital city of Brasília. On a round trip with domestic flights, travelers often have to change planes here and can combine a visit with a stopover. In Poconé, the gateway to the North Pantanal, the well-known Transpantaneira road to Porto Jofre begins. The small town is therefore on the way of many Brazil vacationers, who thus have the opportunity to visit the colorful spectacle. Guarapuava, in turn, is located halfway between Foz do Iguaçu and Curitiba, so travelers can easily reach the town by bus or rental car.

Sources: www.cultura.mt.gov.br, www.pirenopolis.tur.br, www.wikipedia.org