Festivals in South America

All of the holidays, fiestas and festivals, whether religious or secular, have a special significance in Latin American culture. There are some events, like New Years Eve, Easter, Christmas or Semana Santa, which are celebrated through the continent. Other festivals are very country specific. Some of the festivals in South America rank among the best festivals in the world. These are celebrated with much enthusiasm, dancing, and music. On New Years Eve, the whole of South America lights up, especially Brazil and Chile, with a million revelers on Copacabana Beach to experience one of the largest celebrations in Brazil. There are fireworks, concerts and religious ceremonies of the Afro-Brazilian Candomble that make New Years Eve an unforgettable even. In Chile, Valparaiso rings in the New Year with fireworks displays that rise high above the cities glittering bay, so that thousands of visitors who cover the hills can see the event.
Soccer Festivals, Music Festivals and Social Festivals are many of the others that are often celebrated in this area. Soccer is revered like a religion in much of South America. Music is more like a passion than just something to pass the time for Latin Americans, who always find them swinging or tapping to the beat.
Summer Festivals of South America are also very popular. These include most of the Catholic Holidays along with many other faiths. On Christmas Eve, families generally gather for dinner, music and dancing. The same is done or Good Friday and Easter Sunday. In South America, Brazil and Uruguay, Carnivals are celebrated greatly. The week before the start of Lent, Mardi Gras is thrown in many towns in South America, but by far the biggest celebration for this takes place in Brazil. Rio is home to incredible parties, and is world famous on the streets with flatbed trucks that have large sound systems, that lead people down the streets for a 3-day celebration of dancing.

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