7 de Setembro: Dia da Independência
Today is a 'feriado' (national holiday) to commemorate Brazil's independence from Portuguese rule in 1822.

Evidently this involves military parades in the city centre, which we didn't get to see (no car!). However, we did see the local school parading in the streets of Jurere yesterday (see photo). The children were carrying banners saying 'Make peace, not war' or the equivalent. This intrigued me. Brazil has had its share of wars in its history, but not in recent times. I wondered what lessons had preceded this parade in the local school.

This prompted me to research Brazil's history a little and I found this very accessible article: Brief History of Brazil at http://www.brazilbrazil.com/historia.html, which I found fascinating.