Ouro Prêto Local Customs

Easter Week celebrations in Ouro Preto feature some of the country's most spectacular Semana Santa (Holy Week) processions and it's certainly worth visiting this magnificent city at that time.

The entire week is filled with celebrations ending on Easter Sunday. The night before they decorate streets with carpets made of colourful sawdust and flowers. On Easter Sunday children dressed as angels walk in procession through the picturesque cobblestoned streets from one side of town to the other, ending up at the cathedral for Easter service. The city is crowded for a procession that lasts many hours. Colourful rugs and flags are hung from the windows. The Bible is being acted out by the local people and the mood is just brilliant.

Much to my surprise, the streets of the city were cleaned only shortly after it and there was not one more sign of any celebration at all.

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unbelievable and enourmes wealth has always been displayed in Brasil's churches, quite mind boggeling actually, where outside the poorest of the poor starved, the church displayed its wealth and power.
but I came to know that even the poor want their churches reflecting the status of the community as such and display all the pomp they could muster.

and Parks play a very importand role for brazilian lifestyle.meeting friends Buizpartners and hanging out..especially in the evening,when the heat has lost its sting,kids playing around, and is a good time for making new friends

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Aleijadinho..the crippled one..Antonio Francisco Lisboa.1730-1814.
Sao Francisco de Assis is the most importend and artistic of the churches in this area and showing the work of Aleijadinho, he himself is a treasure of South America.

This man is known all about town. He's OP's unofficial tour guide. Not only can he tell you the best places to go, he can take you on amazing treks to waterfalls and hidden posadas. Ask around for him! He's a good guy to know!

Aleijadinho left Brazil with a treasure of sculptures,including the twelve prophets,that made the UNESCO agents spechless.
This man was a son of a simple worker from Portugal,and an african slave,he was fat,short,had red hair,with a huge head and enormous lips and ears,was not what one could call a handsome.
In the age of 47,he suffered from a misterious disease what deformed his feet and hands.
His father worked as a carpenter and also with wood sculptures,and took his son to help him at work..very soon,he showed his talents.
He could not walk,than,the slaves carried him on their backs to his workplace,and tied his deformed hands to a special lashes that he could use it to create the most beautiful sculptures in the world!
Here is the artist self portrait in a sculpture,than will follow 3 of the 12 prophets,one of thousands examples of this great and unusual artist!

Master Aleijadinho sculptures

Another incredible piece