Festa da Uva (Festival of the grape) is a celebration of Italian heritage and culture held biennially in

Caxias do Sul Caxias do Sul (), is a city in Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil, situated in the state's mountainous Serra Gaúcha region. It was established by Italian immigrants on June 20, 1890. Today it is the second largest city in the state of Rio Grand ...

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a state in the southern region of Brazil. It is the fifth-most-populous state and the ninth largest by area. Located in the southernmost part of the country, Rio Grande do Sul is border ...

, in southern

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. The Festa da Uva is held in February of every even-numbered year. During the Festa da Uva, the

pavilions host attractions mainly from South America, but also from other regions of the world. Visitors taste

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During productio ...

grapes A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...

and various

ian

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented grapes. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different ...

s. The large crowds also draw independent vendors who promote local-themed products from the southern

gaúcho A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and ...

state. The Festa hosts parades that process through the city nightly. A Rainha (Queen) and two Princesas (Princesses) are chosen after competition in a

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...

to reign over the Festa. A queen was first selected for the Festa da Uva in 1933.

History

The Festa da Uva first started in 1931 as a

harvest festival A harvest festival is an annual celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times at different places. ...

. The

harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most l ...

in Brazil falls in February/March since the country is in the Southern Hemisphere. Colonel Miguel Muratore, Mayor of

in 1931, gave organizers the necessary support to get the Festa off and running. The Festa went on hiatus from 1938–1949 because of economic instability in the city and surrounding Italian region, due in part to the effects of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, when Italy was an enemy of the Allies. The festival promoted Italian culture.

References

External links

Photo Gallery of the Festa da Uva
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Official Festa da Uva website
Italian-Brazilian culture Caxias do Sul Culture in Rio Grande do Sul Cultural festivals in Brazil Tourist attractions in Rio Grande do Sul Food and drink festivals in Brazil Harvest festivals Folk festivals in Brazil {{brazil-cuisine-stub