• What is celebrated on Brazilian Independence Day?
• What were the causes of the independence of Brazil?
• How long did the Brazilian War of Independence last?
• Other dates of importance in Brazil

We explain what is celebrated on Brazil's Independence Day and the historical events that originated it. Also, when and how is it celebrated?

September 7 is the day Pedro I broke ties with Portugal, in 1822.

What is celebrated on Brazilian Independence Day?

On September 7 of each year, Independence Day is celebrated in Brazil, that is, the commemoration of the day on which the then regent of the Kingdom of Brazil, Don Pedro de Braganza, later known as Pedro I of Brazil, formally broke the ties that united his country with the Portuguese metropolis, since the establishment of the Suburb in the sixteenth century. From that day on, Brazil began to exist as an autonomous political entity: the Empire of Brazil.

To be exact, on September 7, what happened on that same date in 1822 is remembered: the formal declaration of brazilian independence, today known as the Ipiranga Scream, which took that name because it occurred on the banks of the Ipiranga River, near São Paulo. There, the Brazilian regent Pedro I received notification that the Lisbon Courts had declared illegitimate both his government as well as the Constituent Assembly that he had summoned, and they also demanded his immediate return to Portugal.

These decisions of the Court of Lisbon implied the end of the regency and the recolonization of Brazil, which since 1815 had acquired the status of a participating kingdom in the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarve, by decision of King John VI. For that reason they generated a lot of annoyance in Brazil.

Consequently, Don Pedro de Braganza called his aides and after inviting them to remove their blue and white bracelets, which represented Portugal, he pronounced the following words: “Friends, the Portuguese Courts want to enslave and persecute us. As of today, our relations are broken. No tie unites us anymore” and drawing his sword from him, he shouted: “By my blood, my honor, my God, I swear to give freedom to Brazil: Independence or death!”.

With the Cry of Ipiranga began the fight for independence of Brazil, which culminated two years later with the expulsion of the Portuguese troops from American territory and with the acceptance, in 1825, of the independence Brazilian by the Lusitanian crown. From then on, Brazil became its own empire, a constitutional monarchy ruled by Pedro I.

Today, September 7 is a holiday in Brazil, in which homage is paid to the national collective memory. It is a non-working day and is usually celebrated with military parades, especially in large cities, such as Brasilia, the capital city, where acrobatic displays are carried out by the Aerial Demonstration Squadron, popularly known as Esquadrilha da Fumaça.

What were the causes of the independence of Brazil?

The Brazilian independence had, in general, the following causes:

• The transfer of King John VI and the rest of the Portuguese crown to Brazil in 1808, after the Napoleonic invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, which rarefied the climate between colony and metropolis.
• The granting of “kingdom” status to Brazil by King John VI in 1815, before he was summoned to Portugal by the Lisbon Courts and left his son, Pedro I, as regent of Brazil, under the instruction of heading any attempt at independence.
• The attempt by the Lisbon Courts to recolonize Brazil, ending the regency by decree and demanding the transfer of Pedro I to Lisbon.More than 8,000 Brazilian signatories asked Don Pedro to disobey said instruction.
• The political and military weakness of Portugal after the liberal Revolution of Porto broke out in 1820, which was used by the independentists to promote a relatively peaceful liberation.

How long did the Brazilian War of Independence last?

The Brazilian War of Independence was, compared to the bloody independence struggles of Latin America, quite brief and little bloodthirsty. It began in 1822, when Pedro I disobeyed the mandate of the Lisbon Courts and proclaimed his own government, and culminated two years later, with the expulsion of the Portuguese troops from their main strongholds in Brazil, such as the city of San Salvador of Bahia.

It is difficult to calculate the losses of side and side, but it is known that in this war there were no big and bloody clashes between two armies, as happened in the Hispano-American case with battles like Ayacucho, Carabobo or Maipú, but in general they were tactical confrontations and guerrilla wars. Already at the end of 1823, the pro-independence side had practically achieved victory.

Other dates of importance in Brazil

Other important dates in Brazilian history are the following:

• November 15. Celebration of the Proclamation Day of the Republic of Brazil in 1889, through a coup to monarchy of Peter II.
• On April 21. Celebration of the "Day of Tiradentes", in honor of the independence fighter Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, who was a dentist by profession.
• November 20th. celebration of the National Black Awareness Day, commemorating the Afro-Brazilian cultural and historical contribution and the death of the “Zumbi de los Palmares”, a warrior of African origin.