Brazilian Halloween
Instead of pumpkins and brooms, there will be pipes and red pants in Brazil this Halloween, (well, at least in the city of São Luiz do Paraitinga). That’s because on October 31st, this Brazilian city will celebrate the day of Saci, “O dia do Saci.” (Remember that article I wrote about frightening Brazilian children’s legends? Well Saci-Pererê is one of the most well known legends in Brazil (read more about him Here).
The festival, which began on the 25th, will promote the Brazilian Saci folklore. Here’s an article about the event from Folha, where you can also see pictures from past years (yes, this has gone on before, for the last nine years).
I was pretty amused to discover that there exists something called the Sosaci, or “Sociedade dos Observadores de Saci” (“Society of observers of Saci“) in Brazil. These people obviously take the myth quite seriously, if you read the Folha article you will see what I mean. For example, the founder of the society says that they chose Saci Pererê as the mascot for the Brazilian Halloween celebration because he represents the “synthesis of the Brazilian people.” Umm, ok…
Do Brazilians Celebrate Halloween
Since Brazilians will take any opportunity they can to put together a costume and wear it in public, yes, Halloween parties are becoming more popular in the bigger cities of Brazil. Though the tradition of trick-or-treating for children does not exist. In Brazil, Halloween is commonly known as “Dia das Bruxas” – “Witches Day.”
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