Apresentação da Cidade
SÃO JOÃO DEL-REI - NOBILITY IS HAVING IDENTITY
Ancient and contemporary, erudite and popular. reflecting this unique combination
São João del-Rei has a significant historical, political, and cultural importance in our country. Our origin is directly connected with the extraction of gold in the beginning of the 18th Century. The city maintains an important legacy through socio-cultural projects as well as in its impressive buildings of colonial and eclectic architecture. It is graced by magnificent churches, squares, stone bridges; furniture factories, as well as textiles and pewter factories aboun; dairy industries and typical gastronomy. Hospitality, kindness, open arms and food on the table perpetually greet all visitors. Masters pass on traditional crafts such as religious art in gold, silver, and wood; works in iron, ceramic and lace, including the finest embroidery. With a strong musical tradition, the city is the home of two of the oldest religious orchestras in the Americas. The musical repertoire ranges from the popular and folkloric to the sacred; the "language of bells" has been kept alive for 250 years. São João del Rei is the only city in the world to preserve in its integrity the rituals of Holy Week. It hosts museums and libraries, which house rare works, as well as theater, dance groups, carnival and national exhibitions of orchids.
Its Federal University offers courses in Music and History among many others, while sponsoring one of the largest cultural festivals in Minas Gerais, the yearly "Cultural Winter." A railroad system, which maintains in perfect working condition the oldest passenger train in the world, the "Maria Fumaca", connects São João del Rei with Tiradentes. Integrating the Royal Road,* it is surrounded by pleasant small towns and charming Bed and Breakfasts, some of which are old colonial farms. There is also an operating regional airport.
The concept of National Capital of Culture has been internationally recognized with the purpose of preserving and promoting the cultural identity of cities and countries around the world. The involvement of local and global entities is essential for sustainable development, guided by the Eight Goals of the Millennium and by the Agenda 21 for culture. Our culture offers us the knowledge we need in order to maintain active participation in the making of our history and of our cities.
São João del Rei, Minas Gerais was the second CBC - Brazilian Capital of the Culture, in 2007. The first CBC was Olinda in Pernambuco, in 2006. The Cultural Capitals in the World had origin in Europe, Athens was the first CEC - European Capital of the Culture in 1985. This project aims to promote the culture in all forms of expression, to contribute so that there is a larger knowledge of the identity and cultural diversity of the countries, to collaborate in the processes of national integration and social inclusion through the culture, to promote the cultural capital cities internationally, to establish new cooperation bridges, to contribute so that there is a better knowledge among the people of the continents, respecting the national and regional diversity, and at the same time, highlighting the common cultural patrimony.
Alzira Agostini Haddad
Atitude Cultural. Social-cultural projects
*Royal Road: echo-tourism, rural tourism, sports, health, business, gastronomy, religion, historical-cultural and protected ranches; units of environmental conservation under protection. 1,632 km, 198 districts in three states; 8 in Rio de Janeiro, 22 in São Paulo and 168 in Minas Gerais.
Privileged and preserved landscape, illustrious people travelled along the Royal Road as Antonio Francisco Lisboa, Aleijadinho (1730-1814), Joaquim José of Silva Xavier, Tiradentes (1746-1792), the Emperors Pedro I (1798-1834) and Pedro II (1825-1891) and the great Langsdorff Expedition (1821-1829).
Festivals in São João del-Rei | Annual Calendar | Let’s celebrate!
January
06 | Three wise men’s/Folk singing
20 | Day of St. Sebastian
| Festival Happy hour/Local cuisine*
| Dance Festival*
.
February/March/April
00 | Pre-carnival (Samba School Rehearsal)
| Carnival (old style carnival) *
| Festa de Passos*
| Blessing of souls*
| Holy week*
| Flower street carpet
| Minas Arts and Crafts Fair
21 | Tiradentes
May
| International de Mountain Bike Competition*
24 | Bárbara Eliodora
24 | Our Lady Auxiliadora (Mary help of Christians)
| Festival of the Divine Holy Ghost
| Corpus Christi*
| Sing Del-Rey – National Choir Meeting
Junho
13 | Saint Anthony
24 | Saint John
29 | Saint Peter
| Vintage Car Club (rally or meeting)
| Citizenship Fair/stands with typical food from June Festival
July
00 | Winter Cultural Festival*
16 | July Festival stands with typical food
August
| Agricultural Exhibition*
01 | Our Lord of Bonfim
14 | Trânsito de Nossa Senhora
15 | Our Lady of the Assumption
22 | Folklore
September
01 | Our Lord of Bom Jesus do Monte
07 | Independence Day of Brazil
14 | Our Lord of Bom Jesus de Matozinhos
24 | Our Lady of Mercês
29 | St. Michael the Archangels
|Literature Festival of São João del Rei*
October
03 | Holy Angels Arcangels
04 | St. Francis of Assis
12 | Our Lady of Pilar|Our Lady of Conception Aparecida
28 | São Judas Tadeu
| Orchids National Exhibition*
| Our Lady of Rosary*
| Commerce and Industrial Fair, Cultural Exhibition
November
02 | All Soul’s Day
| De Bar em Bar / ABRASEL
15 | Republic Proclamation Day
22 | Music Week Festival
December
08 | Our Lady of Conceição|City’s aniversary
25 | Christmas
31 | New year’s Eve
*Datas móveis
Monthly meeting: Legends of São João del-Rei (3rd Saturday of the month | Bell ringing symphony |
Samba na Praça | Semanas temáticas-musicais do Conservatory of Music | Many cultural attractions throught the year.
Useful Telephone numbers
Fire Department – 193 – (32) 3379-2640
Police Department – 190 – (32) 3372-1194
Hospital – (32) 3379-2800
Airport – (32) 3373-2207
Bus Station – (32) 3373-4700
