Brazil has the largest Catholic population in the world. Holy Week - Semana Santa in Portuguese - is observed throughout the country with processions and rituals similar to those of other Catholic countries, yet made unique by the specific context in which they happen. From the beginning of Holy Week, on Palm Sunday - Domingo de Ramos - to the festive celebration of Easter Sunday, every Catholic Church in Brazil will be involved in the observance of many rituals, mainly processions and special Masses.
In a secular approach to Holy Week, people will rush to the beach and other popular vacation areas in Brazil to take advantage of the holiday, which schools usually extend to the whole week. Add to that the great volume of people traveling to destinations famous for traditional Catholic rituals and folks just looking to be with family for the holiday, and you're in for busy roads and airports, fully booked hotels and crowds everywhere.
Traditionally, hotels book Semana Santa in packages running from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday.
Procession and Mass on Palm Sunday, or Domingo de Ramos, the Sunday before Easter. They commemorate Christ's arrival in Jerusalem, when palms were spread before him as he rode into town on a donkey. Traditionally, people carry palms that are then blessed and taken home.
Lava-pés - Washing of the Feet. As Christ washed His apostles' feet, twelve people from various social classes have their feet washed by priests during a special mass on Holy Thursday.
Procissão do Encontro, or Procession of the Meeting, on Good Friday. Women carrying an image of Nossa Senhora das Dores (Virgin of Sorrows) meet a procession of men carrying Nosso Senhor dos Passos, an image of Christ burdened by His cross.
Descent of the Cross Procession and Mass, on Good Friday.
Canto da Verônica - Veronica's Chant. A strong tradition in Brazil, it is symbolic of the apochryphal passage according to which Veronica wiped Christ's face on the Via Dolorosa. Usually sung during Procissão do Encontro.
Paschal Vigil - Vigília Pascal. A service held between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter Sunday, with the lighting of a new fire which will, in turn, light the Easter Candle, symbol of Jesus Christ's light unto the world.
Festive Procession and Mass on Easter Sunday.
According to the results of a study conducted about Easter Week in Tiradentes, MG by anthropologists Marcelo Ayres Camurça and Oswaldo Giovannini Jr. and published in Horizontes Antropológicos in 2003, three views overlap and antagonize each other - but also merge and negotiate - during the event: Catholicism, heritage preservation and tourism.
There is an interplay of sacred and cultural significance attributed to Holy Week, and the tourists that flock to Tiradentes typically experience a mix of aesthetic/religious perceptions - 35% of the travelers interviewed for the study reported that to them, the local churches had equal artistic, historical and religious importance.
One of the most beautiful traditions in Holy Week is the decoration of streets for the Sunday procession. Many cities do it for Corpus Christi, but in Ouro Preto, for example, people create colorful carpets with wood shavings, flour, coffee, flowers and other elements the night before Sunday for the procession to walk on.
