CIRIO DE NAZARÉ

The Cirio de Nazaré (or Nazaré candle) is one of the most important Christian festivals in the world. It takes place in Belém, in the state of Pará, in the Amazon. As many as one and a half million people (or more) accompany the procession that leads the statue of the Virgin from the cathedral to the very rich basilica that bears her name. Like many Marian festivities, this festival was born of a "miracle" according to which a statue of the Virgin Mary brought by a pious man disappeared and returned to his house.