Next Tuesday, the September 7th, We celebrate Brazilian Independence Day.

The date marks an important period of Brazilian history, the Independence path.It all started when Prince Pedro (Future King Pedro, the first) supposedly proclaimed the cry of independence on the riverside of the Ipiranga River (located in the current city of São Paulo) on September 7, 1822. Up to this moment, Brazil was a colony of Portugal.

In 1808, as a result of the Napoleonic Era and motivated by the invasion of Portugal by French troops, the Portuguese Royal Family had to escape to Brazil, settling themselves in Rio de Janeiro. The Portuguese regent at the time was João VI, who became king around 1816, when the court was still in Brazilian lands.

His reign brought to the colony a series of modernizations that promoted economic development and cultural and artistic flourishing. Two important measures were the opening of the ports, in 1808, and the elevation of Brazil to the status of a kingdom, in 1815. With this last measure, Brazil ceased to be a colony and became part of the Portuguese kingdom. This situation, however, displeased many in Portugal. Thus, in 1820, a so-called Liberal Revolution in Porto broke out.

This revolution mobilized an elite in Portugal for the desire for reforms in the country, which included the king’s return to Lisbon. The starting point for the process of independence of Brazil was, therefore, the intention of the Portuguese Court to revoke all the measures mentioned above by d. João VI during his stay in the then colony. Independence was the result of attrition in the relations between Brazilian settlers, especially the elite, with Portugal.

It was because of the possibility of Brazil’s recolonization that our independence process began. The country’s economic elite – in this case, the Southeast elite – did not accept this possibility because it would affect their economic interests. Negotiations extended through 1820 and 1821, but from 1822 onwards, separatist sentiment began to gain strength.

When Prince Pedro proclaimed the independence, Brazil broke its connection with Portugal and consolidated itself as an independent nation. Although, the independence process was not peaceful, as there was resistance, which resulted in occurrences in places such as Bahia, Pará and Cisplatina (now Uruguay). The so-called “Brazilian” troops won and managed to subdue the resistance movements.

Portugal ended up recognizing our independence in 1824, after the British mediated an agreement between Brazil and Portugal. Brazil, as an independent nation, organized itself as a monarchy and d. Pedro was acclaimed and crowned Emperor of Brazil. Being named King Pedro, the first in 1822.

Being considered one of the country’s milestones, the date is understood as an important moment for the collective memory of Brazilians and, therefore, should be celebrated. The importance of the date is easily identified by the fact that it is a national holiday and is one of the three holidays that celebrate landmark events in Brazilian history (the others are Tiradentes Day and Republic Proclamation Day).

The independence celebrations in Brazil take place mainly in the big cities of Brazil and are marked by parades carried out by the Brazilian Army. In the capital, Brasília, parades of members of the Armed Forces (Navy, Army and Air Force) are held, as well as parades of bands and even veterans of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force, which fought in World War II.The Esquadrilha da Fumaça, an Air Force detachment famous for performing aerobatic displays with airplanes, exhibits in the capital (take a look at the picture).