Farroupilha Parade brings Gaucho traditions and customs to the streets.

Daniel Isaia – Correspondent for Agência Brasil

Thousands of people attended the Farroupilha Parade celebrations this Wednesday (20), which celebrates the traditions and customs of Gaucho culture. On this date, September 20, Gauchos remember the Farroupilha Revolution, a separatist war against the Brazilian Empire that began in 1835 and lasted ten years.

The parade took place in the morning on Avenida Edvaldo Pereira Paiva, along the banks of the Guaíba River. A significant portion of the public was dressed in traditional gaucho attire: the men in shirts, scarves, bombachas (loose-fitting trousers), and boots, and the women in long traditional dresses.

On the avenue, the public watched the parades of traditionalist movements from all over Rio Grande do Sul. Gauchos and their wives presented themselves in traditional attire, most on horseback or in the back of rural carts. Troops and cavalry from the Rio Grande do Sul Military Brigade and other public security agencies also paraded.

One of those who watched the parade was retired José Nonemacher, who, wearing a scarf and bombachas (traditional gaucho trousers), watched the delegations pass by. He recounted that he caught people's attention when he went to Canada a few months ago to visit his "piazito" – his son, who studies in that country. "We brought our yerba mate, our chimarrão (mate tea), and we also cultivate gaucho culture there. People asked what it was, and we explained everything. It's a source of pride to have this culture and maintain it, especially dressed in traditional gaucho attire, as we are," he affirmed.

Love for the land and its customs is a unanimous sentiment among those who participate in the festivities.

“It’s a feeling that is born with all people from Rio Grande do Sul. Today, September 20th, our most important date, it blossoms even more. We want to show the whole society how proud we are, how much we love the culture and tradition of our state,” highlighted Caroline Scariot, 2nd Prenda of Rio Grande do Sul. Originally from Lajeado, 122 kilometers from Porto Alegre, Caroline paraded on Avenida Edvaldo Pereira Paiva.

As a member of traditionalist movements, Caroline lives the customs of Gaucho culture every day. “People are quite attracted to the horses that parade, to the women in their enormous, shiny dresses full of ruffles. But it’s important that they know there’s much more to it than that. In our sheds, in the CTGs [Gaucho Tradition Centers], there’s a whole process of preserving the history of our Rio Grande do Sul, its culture, its geography. Everyone can come and learn a little more about this history whenever they want,” invited the young woman.