Overview

• The festival traces back to the 1800s when a Portuguese priest introduced horseback pageantry to honor the Holy Spirit and commemorate Christian victories.
• Held June 8-9 in Pirenópolis, Goiás state, participants don masks and floral headpieces before riding horses in choreographed skirmishes.
• In open-air reenactments, red-clad Moorish knights face blue-clad Christian warriors, culminating in the symbolic conversion of the defeated Moors to Catholicism.
• Festivities include processions through the city, Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary church and hymns celebrating the Divine Holy Spirit.
• The event highlights Brazil’s commitment to preserving traditional cultural celebrations during modern transformations.