Círio de Nazaré
11 October 2026 · movable holiday — A candle and a rope of light, carried in faith.
Círio de Nazaré (the “Candle of Nazareth”) is one of the largest religious processions in the world. It is held every year on the second Sunday of October in Belém, in the state of Pará, Brazil. Devotees honour the Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Nazareth. According to tradition, around 1700 a local man named Plácido found a small statue near the Murutucu stream. The first procession took place in 1793. Hundreds of thousands of people fill the streets, and many hold a long rope attached to the carriage carrying the statue, often fulfilling a vow. The festival is part of a longer cycle of events and family meals. In 2013 UNESCO inscribed it on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Its date is movable: it always falls on the second Sunday of October, so the exact day changes from year to year. Here the sky carries only symbols: a candle and a rope of tiny lights.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver star figure made of bright dots and lines, like a constellation drifting across the sky: a tall glowing candle, followed by a long rope of light carried by many tiny twinkling lights
Sources
Positions in Astronativa are astronomically exact. The interpretation is for inspiration. · Glossary · Terms · Privacy · Thank you