Nazaré procession preserves customs for 200 years

Photos: Arquivo/Prefeitura de Belém 

In October, a crowd of two million Catholics walk through the streets of Belém (Pará) to honour Our Lady of Nazareth along a 3.6-kilometer procession, with devotees singing songs and praise as they worship the holy patron saint of Pará. The event, called Círio de Nazaré. is recognised as one of the largest religious festivals in the world. 

Recognition 

In 2013, the festival was recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco). It has also been inscribed in the Book of Celebrations of the Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage (Iphan). 

History

The procession has taken place since the colonial period, and mixes religious rituals and cultural expressions of the region. Its history dates back to events occurred in 1793, when a caboclo (Indigenous-European mixed-race Brazilian) named Plácido is said to have found the image of a saint among the stones of a small creek and taken it home. However, the day after the episode, the saint would disappear from his home and mysteriously return to the stones where he had been found it the day before. This is said to have happened whenever the saint was taken from the stream. After many comings and goings, the image was also taken to the Chapel of the Provincial Government Place, where it would not stay for more than a night, the story says, returning to the creek even while guarded.

Since then, the saint is worshiped by her devotees, who built a hermitage in the place to which its image always returned. The procession of the Círio de Nazaré seeks to repeat the route that the saint's image would have taken back to the creek. 

The Event

The Círio de Nazaré begins with a Mass at the Belém Cathedral on the second Sunday of October, from which devotees then leave for the procession. They walk towards the Square de Nazaré, which houses a Basilica lit with 4,000 lamps for the occasion. The car in which the saint's image is transported is pulled by the faithful through a rope. Many pilgrims seize the occasion to pay promises made to the saint in exchange for graces received. 

The festival also takes place in other cities of Pará, such as Acará, Curuçá, Parauapebas and São João. After the procession, the image of Our Lady of Nazareth is exposed for the worship of devotees for 15 days. 

Food

During the festive days, tourists can enjoy many staples of local cuisine. Dishes such as maniçoba, duck in tucupi sauce and casquinha de siri ("stuffed crab shells") are big hits among visitors, together with desserts based on cupuaçu and acai, typical fruits of the Brazilian north.