Washing of the Madeleine steps and festive evening closed the Franco-Brazilian Cultural Festival

The Brazilian Cultural Wash Festival of the Madeleine is the largest Brazilian event in all of Europe.

Created in 1998 by Roberto Chavez, a dancer born in Santa Amaro-Bahia Brazil, he was held at the Sacré Coeur church and was transferred to the Madeleine in 2002. He welcomes every year more than 30 000 people and takes place generally in September except last year where the organization Viva Madeleine, organizer of the event wanted to coincide with the Football World Cup, a must-see sport of the nation thus marking the link for social inclusion and peace between peoples, and the arrival of singer and former minister of culture Gilberto Gil, guest on the Grand Parade for Peace.

Born in Salvador de Bahia, the Lavage tradition has existed for more than two centuries and a half in Brazil, and represents the second largest popular festival after the carnival. It was originally called the « Senhor do Bonfim Festival » and was celebrated on the second Sunday of January after the day of the Kings (Dia de Reis).

To prepare the Senhor do Bonfim, the members of the « fraternity of lay devotees » forced the slaves to wash the new Bonfim Church, a Baroque masterpiece. <br /> Gathered in front of the closed door of the church, the slaves then decided to celebrate the feast on the forecourt and the steps of the building since 1774, with their rituals of Candomblé by instituting a procession punctuated by musical songs. still today the Church of Our Lady of the Conception of the Beach, patron saint of Bahia, until Bonfim, with its famous ribbons bracelets lucky. In 1998, the first Parisian wash took place and in 2002, on an idea of ​​Roberthino Chavès, dancer at Paradis Latin, the Franco-Brazilian Association « Viva Madeleine » was created to promote Brazilian culture in Europe.

This year, for several days, from the 5th to the 8th of September at the Carreau du Temple, a Village of Service, Gastronomy and Tourism with an artistic scene and the Grand Parade of the Place de la République at the Church of the Madeleine, have delighted participants. The 4-km course went through the Grands Boulevards, drawing 250 singers and artists dressed in white and adorned with flowers, as well as percussionists and dancers, to the steps of the Madeleine Church where Father Bruno Horaist, pastor of the Madeleine and Brazilian Ambassador to Paris Paulo Cesar de Oliveira Campo hosted the procession. A big closing party, Brazilian Vibes was the festival finale. An integral part of the official French artistic and cultural calendar, this 18th edition of the festival took place in a good-natured atmosphere.

Since 2014, the presenter TV, Cristina Cordula is the godmother of the event inspired by the washing of the Lord of Bonfim since 1754 in Salvador de Bahia. This event has been supported by the Paris City Hall and the Ile de France Region since 2005, the Permanent Delegation of Brazil to UNESCO since 2011 as a cultural value and is part of « La Route de l ‘ Slave « , global program for reconciliation, the duty of memory and historical truth, but also of the Brazilian Embassy in France.

After a long break, the Afro-Brazilian parade returned for the 8th year, organized by the association Fafadièse, as part of the Brazilian season « Brazil, Brazil ».

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VERONIQUE YANG

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