Curiosities

• Carnival: The Recife-Olinda combination may be the best Carnaval in Brazil, but even if you decide to carnaval in Rio or Salvador, Recife starts celebrating so early that you can enjoy festivities there and then go somewhere else for Carnaval proper.Two months before the start of Carnaval, there are bailes (dances) in the clubs and Carnaval blocos practicing on the streets, with frevo dancing everywhere. Galo da Madrugada, Recife's largest bloco, has been known to bring 20,000 people in costume onto the beaches at Boa Viagem to dance.

There are supposedly 500 different Carnaval blocos in the Recife area, and they come in all `shakes' and colors. There are the traditional and well organized, the modern and anarchical. There are samba schools, there are afoxés, Indian tribes and maracatus (African processions accompanied by percussion musicians), but the main dance of Carnaval in Pernambuco is the frenetic frevo. The Fundação da Cultura do Recife, which runs Carnaval, has on occasion organized public frevo lessons for the uninitiated at the Pátio de São Pedro.

• June Festival: Pernambuco, the land of Luiz Gonzaga, King of the Baião, has the most traditional São João in Brazil. The party warms up to the rhythm of Forro, moved by the energy of the foods typical of the epoch. The clowns and blocks of dancers take over all the streets, and the people enter into the party spirit. Each year, the Forro Train leaves Recife for a different city of the region.

Trip Tips: Recife is a good place to look for Pernambuco's traditional handicrafts, such as clay figurines, wood sculptures, leather goods and articles made from woven straw. Check out the shops and stalls in Casa da Cultura de Recife, Pátio de São Pedro, and markets such as Mercado de São José or the Feira de Arte e Artesanato, which is a market held in Boa Viagem during the late afternoon and evening on Saturday and Sunday.

Have Fun

• Unmissable Events

Festa dos Santos Reis

Date: January

Place: Carpina - PE

Buscada de Nossa Senhora do Pilar

Date: February 8

Place: Ilha de Itamaraca – PE

Festa da Pitomba

Date: March 31- April 7

Place: Jaboatao dos Guararapes – PE

Festival Nacional de Jericos

Date: April 29- May 1

Place: Panelas - PE

O Maior São João do Mundo (The World’s Biggest São João)

Date: June1- June 30

Place: Caruaru – PE

Vaquejada de Caruaru

Date: September

Place: Caruaru – PE

Recifolia

Date: October

Place: Recife - PE

Festival do Morango (Strawberry Festival)

Date: November

Place: Gravata - PE