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See also: Culture of Brazil
Our Lady of Grace Cathedral, Belém, also known as the Sé Cathedral
Círio de Nazaré[edit]
Main article: Círio De Nazaré
On the second Sunday in October, Pará celebrates the largest religious event in Brazil: the procession of the Círio of Nazaré. This tradition started when a farmer and lumberman called Plácido José de Souza found an image of the Virgin and Child on the edge of the Murucutu creek, where the Basilica of Our Lady of Nazareth of Exile stands today. He decided to take the image home. However, the image would mysteriously go back to the place where it was initially found every time he took it home. So Plácido decided to build a small chapel on the edge of the creek. This episode was regarded as miraculous throughout the region. It attracted hundreds of believers to see the image and pay homage to it.
Círio de Nazaré celebration.
Círio de Nazaré in 2014.
Since then, the Círio has been celebrated as a long procession lasting around five hours, in which thousands of people follow the statue through the streets of Belém. The Círio festival is regarded as the "Christmas of the Amazon" because everyone is involved in the arrangements to receive the saint. In early September, minor celebrations take place as a spiritual preparation for the Círio, with thousands of images scattered all over the capital and neighboring cities.
In time it became necessary to incorporate new elements into the tradition due to the people's desire to honor their patron saint. On the Saturday morning prior to the Círio procession the statue is taken to the square of Ananindeua, a nearby city, to begin a Road Pilgrimage to the Icoaraci pier for a Mass. The river pilgrimage then begins. It was created to honor the "water men" who regard the Virgin of Nazareth as their patron saint. There is a traditional ship contest to award the most originally decorated boat. When the Sacred Image leaves Icoaraci in a Navy Corvette, it is followed by dozens of boats and ships through the waters of Guajará Bay to the pier of Belém, from where it is escorted all the way to the Gentil Bittencourt School. The subsequent candle-lit procession symbolizes the story of the discovery of the Saint and its return to where it was found. The procession follows the Carriage, to which a huge rope is tied, which is carried by the faithful until the procession arrives at the Sé Cathedral.
Santo Alexandre Church.
During the procession, there is a fireworks show, sponsored by the Stevedores' Union, marking the passage of the Saint until its arrival at the Cathedral. At daybreak of the next day, the faithful start to gather at the Old City, believing that this will bring them closer to the Virgin. At 7 o'clock, the archbishop conducts the image to the carriage as bells toll and fireworks explode. The main procession then goes through the streets of the city to the Architectonic Centre of Nazareth, known for its Sanctuary Square. As it arrives at the square, the image is removed from the carriage for the celebration of a Mass and then lifted so that everybody will be blessed by the patron saint of Pará.
The festivities last 15 days, with religious celebrations, like the Children's Círio, and its procession, held two Sundays after the Círio. The Re-Círio marks the end of the celebrations, with a shorter course back to the Gentil Bittencourt chapel.
Convention and Fair Centre of the Amazon[edit]
Built in a 23,000-square-metre area, the Hangar Convention and Fair Center of the Amazon has 12 rooms, ticket offices, baggage keeping, press room, and a food court, distributed in two big buildings with a parking lot for 800 vehicles. Genuine Amazonian trees will soon be planted in the outdoor area. With Hangar, Belém joins the market for national conventions that take place in a different city each time, such as the Brazilian Computer Society Congress. National conventions had not been held in the Northern region previously.
Hangar, whose auditorium has room for 2,160 participants, has some of the best technologies available in the world and is the most modern and functional space for events in the country. According to the Brazilian Association of Convention and Fair Centers (ABRACCEF), there are 17,500 events happening on average throughout the 53 main convention and exhibition centres of Brazil. These activities bring together approximately 28 million participants.
Architecture[edit]
Theatro da Paz.
The colonial architecture Belém reflects the seventeenth-century architecture of Lisbon in Portugal, which served as the inspiration for the main housing projects of the time, with the frequent use of tile-hung façades. The Italian architect and artist Giuseppe Antonio Landi (1713 - 1791) arrived in Pará in 1753 as part of a technical commission, but was invited to stay by Governor Francisco Xavier de Mendonça Furtado, brother of the powerful Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal. Landi redesigned the urban plan of the city of Belém, and designing or modifying nearly all of the buildings of the period.
Neoclassical architecture was introduced to Belém in the 19th century, as part of the larger trend in Brazil, and is also present in buildings such as the Theatro da Paz, built in 1874. The Amazoninian rubber cycle brought great wealth to Belém in the late 19th and early 20th century. The intendent Antônio Lemos introduced numerous modernization projects in the city; the wealth élite of Belém built large town mansion, such as the Bibi Costa Mansion, in the eclectic style, many based on French models and building techniques.
On the other hand, many of the city's lower class residents live in substandard housing and urban slums with little access to sewage collection and proper sanitation.
Cuisine[edit]
Estação das Docas in BelémAçaí palm is typical from Belém
The local Amerindian culture makes use of local ingredients to create the colors and flavors of its cuisine. One such ingredient, a fruit named "Cupuaçu", comes from the Cupuaçu tree, found in the Amazonian forest. Cupuaçu is easily identified by its unique smell and sour taste. Its pulp is also extracted to make juices, candies, jellies, liquors, and ice cream. Açaí is a palm tree with a long, thin stem. The palm fruits from this tree are purple in color with a earthy and fruity taste. Long prized by the local population, it recently it has also reached the national menu.
Belém has been part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the category of gastronomy since 2015.
World Social Forum[edit]
The World Social Forum 2009 took place from January 27 to February 1 in Belém.
Sports[edit]
Estádio Olímpico do Pará in Belém.
The three main football teams in Pará are based in Belém: Paysandu, Remo and Tuna Luso. Paysandu based in São Braz, play at the 16,200 capacity Estádio da Curuzú, the oldest stadium of Pará state; Remo, based in Travessa Antônio Baena, play at the 17,250 capacity Baenão; and Tuna Luso-Brasileira based in Souza play at the much smaller 6,500 Estádio Francisco Vasques. The latter stadium is currently the home of Clube Municipal Ananindeua who represent the very large suburb of Ananindeua.
The Estádio Olímpico do Pará is the biggest in the city and hosts 45,000 spectators, the stadium hosts the Grande Premio Brasil de Atletismo, that is part of the IAAF World Challenge as well as Sport Club Belém and the aforementioned teams for large matches.
União Esportiva used to be a relatively successful club based in the city but was disbanded in 1965.
