Traditions of the Easter holiday in the United States are similar to those of Brazil although Brazil does not celebrate this day with large stuffed bunnies, colored eggs and the once a year big event of the Easter egg hunt. Instead the children receive a large plastic egg that can be separated in two and is full of chocolate treats. The similarities that I noted were families coming together to celebrate the day of Jesus's resurrection, the many party's with delicious food, favorited beverages and dancing. After 40 days of lent, the time to celebrate is warmly accepted.
This Easter weekend I was invited by Jaquim, a member of my Rotary, to share the holiday with his family on their farm in Iguatama, Minas Gerais, which is located six hours northwest from Belo Horizonte. I gladly accepted the offer with a smile and a willingness to leave my house the minute he called. The excitement rushed through me having had already met his family and had been to the land on
which his family's farm is located. We arrived on a Friday afternoon and stayed until Sunday. The most exciting part of the whole weekend was when we went on a "cavalgado" (a long horseback riding trip). An hour before sunset, I rode with 22 others on horseback for two hours, from Jaquim's farm to a small home in the middle of a matted forest. I was greeted by children laughing, couples dancing the traditional Forro dance and young people enjoying the company of one another. The core of the party, in my opinion, is the meat. Brasilians love a good barbecue! The other exciting part was Jaquim's father playing the accordian. He is about 87 years old and is an incredible player. The whole evening was a great time. When the moon was it's highest above the sky and the clouds were overhead and the landscape was barely visible we started our journey back to Jaquim's farm. The sound of the horse's hoofs, walking along the grass/dirt mixed in with the cricketing sound of the bugs was rather stimulating as the warm breeze blew across my face. Oh what a night! One I will treasure forever!
