Independence Day (Brazil)
Encyclopedia
The Independence Day of Brazil , commonly called Sete de Setembro (7th of September), is a national holiday
observed in Brazil
on September 7 of every year. The date celebrates Brazil's Declaration of Independence
from Portugal on September 7, 1822.
from Lisbon
to Salvador
, then capital of Colonial Brazil
. In 1815, Prince Regent
John VI
created the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves, elevating Brazil to the rank of kingdom and increasing its administrative independence.
A political revolution
erupted in Portugal in 1820, forcing the royal family to return. John VI's heir, Pedro I, Prince of Brazil, remained in Brazil. In 1821, the Portuguese Assembly
demanded Brazil to return to its former condition of colony and the return of the heir prince to Portugal. Pedro, influenced by the Rio de Janeiro Senate (Senado da Câmara) refused to return on January 9, 1822, a date which became known as Dia do Fico (Stand Day).
On September 2, 1822, a new decree with Lisbon's demands arrived in Rio de Janeiro, while Prince Pedro was in São Paulo
. Princess Maria Leopoldina
, acting as Princess Regent, met with the Council of Ministers and decided to send her husband a letter advising him to proclaim Brazil's independence. The letter reached Prince Pedro on September 7, 1822. That same day, in a famous scene at the shore of the Ipiranga River
, he declared the country's independence, ending 322 years of colonial dominance of Portugal over Brazil. According to journalist Laurentino Gomes, which wrote a book about the event, Prince Pedro "could not wait for his arrival to São Paulo
to announce the decision". Gomes adds that "he was a reckless man in his decisions but he had the profile of leader that Brazil needed at the time, because there was no time to think".
marked by patriotic displays in most Brazilian cities.
In Brasília
, the celebration takes place at the Ministries Esplanade
with a military parade in the presence of the President of Brazil. Around 30,000 people attend the event each year, which costs about one million reais
. Similar military parades are held in all the state capitals, and in many cities throughout the country.
is held annually to celebrate the Independence Day. The event takes place at 46th Street, near Times Square
, in Manhattan
. The Brazilian Day concert is the centerpiece of the event, featuring famous Brazilian musicians, such as Daniela Mercury
, Ivete Sangalo
, Chitãozinho & Xororó
, Skank
, Sandy & Junior
, Cláudia Leitte
, and Banda Calypso
. In 2008, the event drew a crowd of 1.5 million people, according to the New York City Police Department
. The Brazilian television network Globo
sponsors the event and airs it live to Brazil and over 115 countries through Globo International Network.
Similar events are held in Deerfield Beach, Florida
, San Diego, Toronto, Los Angeles, and London, United Kingdom.
National Day
The National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a nation or non-sovereign country. This nationhood can be symbolized by the date of independence, of becoming republic or a significant date for a patron saint or a ruler . Often the day is not called "National Day"...
observed in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
on September 7 of every year. The date celebrates Brazil's Declaration of Independence
Brazilian Declaration of Independence
The Brazilian Independence comprised a series of political events occurred in 1821–1823, most of which involved disputes between Brazil and Portugal regarding the call for independence presented by the Brazilian Kingdom...
from Portugal on September 7, 1822.
Origin
In 1808, French troops commanded by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Portugal as a retaliation for the Iberian country's refusal to participate in the trade embargo against the United Kingdom. Fleeing persecution, the Portuguese monarchs transferred the Portuguese CourtTransfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil
The Transfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil was an episode in the history of Portugal and the history of Brazil in which the Portuguese royal family and its court escaped from Lisbon on November 29, 1807 to Brazil, just days before Napoleonic forces captured the city on December 1...
from Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
to Salvador
Salvador
Salvador is normally an indirect way of naming a Messiah. In Spanish, a nickname for Salvador is Chava...
, then capital of Colonial Brazil
Colonial Brazil
In the history of Brazil, Colonial Brazil, officially the Viceroyalty of Brazil comprises the period from 1500, with the arrival of the Portuguese, until 1815, when Brazil was elevated to kingdom alongside Portugal as the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves.During the over 300 years...
. In 1815, Prince Regent
Prince Regent
A prince regent is a prince who rules a monarchy as regent instead of a monarch, e.g., due to the Sovereign's incapacity or absence ....
John VI
John VI of Portugal
John VI John VI John VI (full name: João Maria José Francisco Xavier de Paula Luís António Domingos Rafael; (13 May 1767 – 10 March 1826) was King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves (later changed to just King of Portugal and the Algarves, after Brazil was recognized...
created the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves, elevating Brazil to the rank of kingdom and increasing its administrative independence.
Liberal Revolution of 1820
The Liberal Revolution of 1820 was a political revolution that erupted in 1820 and lasted until 1826. It was unchained via a military insurrection in the city of Porto, in northern Portugal, that quickly and peacefully spread to the rest of the country. From 1807 to 1811 Napoleonic French forces...
erupted in Portugal in 1820, forcing the royal family to return. John VI's heir, Pedro I, Prince of Brazil, remained in Brazil. In 1821, the Portuguese Assembly
Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a legislature, or to one of its branch.The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as a number of Latin American countries....
demanded Brazil to return to its former condition of colony and the return of the heir prince to Portugal. Pedro, influenced by the Rio de Janeiro Senate (Senado da Câmara) refused to return on January 9, 1822, a date which became known as Dia do Fico (Stand Day).
On September 2, 1822, a new decree with Lisbon's demands arrived in Rio de Janeiro, while Prince Pedro was in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
. Princess Maria Leopoldina
Maria Leopoldina of Austria
Maria Leopoldina of Austria was an archduchess of Austria, Empress consort of Brazil and queen consort of Portugal....
, acting as Princess Regent, met with the Council of Ministers and decided to send her husband a letter advising him to proclaim Brazil's independence. The letter reached Prince Pedro on September 7, 1822. That same day, in a famous scene at the shore of the Ipiranga River
Ipiranga Brook
The Ipiranga Brook is a river of São Paulo state in southeastern Brazil, historically known for has been the place where Dom Pedro I declared the independence of Brazil from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. Its name came from the Tupi words: "Y", which means water or river,...
, he declared the country's independence, ending 322 years of colonial dominance of Portugal over Brazil. According to journalist Laurentino Gomes, which wrote a book about the event, Prince Pedro "could not wait for his arrival to São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
to announce the decision". Gomes adds that "he was a reckless man in his decisions but he had the profile of leader that Brazil needed at the time, because there was no time to think".
Observance
- Federal lawFederal lawFederal law is the body of law created by the federal government of a country. A federal government is formed when a group of political units, such as states or provinces join together in a federation, surrendering their individual sovereignty and many powers to the central government while...
N° 662, issued on April 4, 1949, made Independence Day a paid federal holidayPublic holidays in BrazilIn Brazil, public holidays may be legislated at the federal, statewide and municipal levels. Most holidays are observed nationwide, but each state and city may have its own holidays as well....
. - Federal law N° 5.571, issued on November 28, 1969, established the protocol for the Independence Day celebration.
Celebration
In Brazil
Independence Day is a national holidayNational Day
The National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a nation or non-sovereign country. This nationhood can be symbolized by the date of independence, of becoming republic or a significant date for a patron saint or a ruler . Often the day is not called "National Day"...
marked by patriotic displays in most Brazilian cities.
In Brasília
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
, the celebration takes place at the Ministries Esplanade
Monumental Axis
The Monumental Axis is a central avenue in Brasília's city design.The avenue begins on the National Congress of Brazil building and is considered part of the DF-002 road. Its first section is known as "Ministries Esplanade" , as it is surrounded by ministries buildings...
with a military parade in the presence of the President of Brazil. Around 30,000 people attend the event each year, which costs about one million reais
Brazilian real
The real is the present-day currency of Brazil. Its sign is R$ and its ISO code is BRL. It is subdivided into 100 centavos ....
. Similar military parades are held in all the state capitals, and in many cities throughout the country.
Abroad
In New York City, the Brazilian DayBrazilian Day
"Brazilian Day", is a party which takes place in New York and other cities around the world. It's held in the beginning of September to celebrate Brazil's independence day ....
is held annually to celebrate the Independence Day. The event takes place at 46th Street, near Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
, in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. The Brazilian Day concert is the centerpiece of the event, featuring famous Brazilian musicians, such as Daniela Mercury
Daniela Mercury
Daniela Mercury , is a Latin Grammy Award-winning Brazilian axé, samba-reggae and MPB singer, songwriter and record producer. Since her breakthrough, Mercury has become one of the best known Brazilian female singers, selling over 20 million albums worldwide...
, Ivete Sangalo
Ivete Sangalo
Ivete Maria Dias de Sangalo is a Latin Grammy Award-winning Brazilian Axé and MPB singer, songwriter, and occasional actress and television show host...
, Chitãozinho & Xororó
Chitãozinho & Xororó
Chitãozinho & Xororó are a Brazilian sertanejo duo. Chitãozinho is the stage name of José Lima Sobrinho and Xororó that of Durval de Lima. Their music, which combines traditional Brazilian caipira with pop, was instrumental in establishing the sertanejo genre...
, Skank
Skank (band)
Skank is a Brazilian rock/reggae band, begun in 1991, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. , they had sold approximately 5,200,000 copies of their albums...
, Sandy & Junior
Sandy & Junior
Sandy & Junior was a Brazilian pop music duo consisting of siblings Sandy Leah Lima and her brother Durval de Lima Junior . They have one of the 10 best-selling albums ever in Brazil...
, Cláudia Leitte
Cláudia Leitte
Cláudia Cristina Leite Inácio, known as Claudia Leitte is a Brazilian axé singer, and former vocalist of the group Babado Novo. Since she is one of the most popular axé singers in Brazil, she hosted MTV Brasil's Video Music Brasil 2007, in which she had been nominated as best singer in that award...
, and Banda Calypso
Banda Calypso
Banda Calypso is a Brazilian musical duo, especially popular in Northern and Northeastern regions of the country. It was formed in the late 1990s by guitarist and producer Chimbinha and his singer/dancer wife Joelma....
. In 2008, the event drew a crowd of 1.5 million people, according to the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
. The Brazilian television network Globo
Rede Globo
Rede Globo , or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26, 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings...
sponsors the event and airs it live to Brazil and over 115 countries through Globo International Network.
Similar events are held in Deerfield Beach, Florida
Deerfield Beach, Florida
Deerfield Beach is a city in Broward County, Florida, USA. The city is named for the numerous deer that once roamed the area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 75,018...
, San Diego, Toronto, Los Angeles, and London, United Kingdom.