Círio of Nazaré, in Belém do Pará, reinforces Brazilian faith in the midst of the pandemic

Rômulo D’Castro – from Cenarium

ALTAMIRA (PA) – There are still no official numbers, but the Cirio de Nazaré, in Belém, Pará, Brazil, walked, this Sunday, 10, through the streets of the capital of Pará after a year without the traditional festival. A small crowd, compared to the editions before the pandemic, followed the image of the patron saint to the Basilica. The “berlinda”, one of the main symbols of the Catholic manifestation, was not used for the second year.

The pilgrims accompanied the image. Many barefoot, others with bricks on their heads, took Sunday off to thank the mother of Pará, as Our Lady of Nazareth is also called.

In the 229th edition, the Círio was different. To avoid crowds, the traditional procession did not take place, just like last year. The Círio also brought a message of hope to the victims of the Covid-19 that, this week, surpassed the mark of 600 thousand dead in Brazil.

The image of Nazareth flew by helicopter over hospitals where patients with coronavirus are hospitalized. Flower petals were thrown from the aircraft. The auxiliary bishop of Pará, Dom Antônio de Assis Ribeiro, led a great mass and prayed for the sick and for the families of those who lost the battle to the virus.

This year’s Círio de Nazaré was officially opened on the 5th. The theme made reference to peace and fighting the pandemic. After two consecutive years with restrictions, the board is already focusing on 2022 and hopes that, with the population completely minimized by then, as stipulated by the government, the Círio will return to the grandeur that always marked the event as the largest Catholic manifestation in the country.

Círio in pictures