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October is the month when Para celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Nazareth, a virtual Christmas atmosphere during a fortnight of celebrations beginning with a colorful river procession on the second Saturday of the month, with hundreds of boats of all sizes and where attentions are focused on a petite statue of the Virgin, followed that same evening by a street procession and a fireworks display.
The half-day long, main procession takes place the next day, Sunday, between the Cathedral and the Basilica and is Brazil's largest religious' procession, estimated at some 2 million people in the streets of Belem...a moving spectacle of faith. The festivities unite the population in their devotion to Our Lady, a return to the homestead, tables laden with typical dishes and a celebration of Para's traditions. Included are a children's procession and yet another procession called the Recirio where the statuette returns to its resting place in the Gentil Chapel. It is certainly a very special time to visit Belem.
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