ROMARIA DE NOSSA SENHORA DA AJUDA

The romeria de Nossa Senhora da Ajuda is a pilgrimage in honour of the town's patron saint, and is one of the oldest and most fervent events of its kind in Brazil. The festival culminates on 15 August with a procession of thousands of devotees through the streets of the village, followed by an open-air mass in front of the church (it is too small to accommodate everyone, however, and many devotees attend the mass from the church square).