In Brazil, knights and masked riders take to a football pitch for religious festival
The Festa do Divino Espírito Santo - or the Festival of the Divine Holy Spirit, blends Catholic traditions with popular folklore and theatrical performance, dating back to the early 19th century
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00:00Knights charge at each other at what is usually a football festival.
00:07These are the cavaljadas.
00:10People dressed as cavalry symbolize medieval battles between Christian knights and Moors.
00:16Meanwhile, masked riders, masquerados, are there to add fun and humor to the celebration.
00:23Their identity is kept secret.
00:28It's a religious festival where everyone has their own role.
00:34Nothing is detached.
00:37Nothing works without the other.
00:40We have the religious part, the charge, the processions, pilgrimage, resting places,
00:49and it ends at the cavaljadas where everyone is represented.
00:58The Festa do Divino Espirito Santo or the Festival of the Divine Holy Spirit blends Catholic traditions with popular folklore and theatrical performance dating back to the early 19th century.
01:12It is staged in the historical town of Pirinopolis in central Brazil.
01:24It would not work if there were only the knights without the masked riders.
01:28It's the world that makes this beautiful festival happen for almost 200 years.
01:38Recognized as intangible cultural heritage by Brazil's National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage,
01:44the celebration highlights the country's colonial roots while blending Catholic faith with Afro-Brazilian expression.
01:58For us, Pirinopolis residents, it is an amazing event.
02:02It is in our soul, our essence, it is our life.
02:10The festival features religious processions, masses, and symbolic rituals like the coronation of the Emperor of the Divine.
