Festa Dos Confederados

The tradition & historical record

Festa dos Confederados is a festival which takes place at the end of April in Santa Barbara, d'Oeste in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The festival commemorates the history of the Confederados, who were a group of Confederate soldiers fleeing to Brazil to continue practicing slavery after the defeat of the Confederate States of America following the American Civil War, as Brazil was one of the last countries to legally bar slavery. As years have passed, there has been an increase in contention around the holiday, as today many Americans see the Confederate flag as a symbol of historical racism, while many other Americans and Brazilian Confederados see it as a positive part of their heritage. ¹

In the aftermath of the Civil War, an estimated population between two thousand and four thousand Confederate soldiers immigrated to Brazil, settling in Santa Barbara D'Oeste, São Paulo from 1865 to 1868. Letters have been found between Brazilian consulates and members of the former Confederate States of America following the end of the war expressing interest in Brazil's slave system. This letter exchange provides evidence as to the reason why the Confederates were leaving and that the diplomats were aware that they were coming with the intent of continuing the practice of slavery. Brazil was one of the last countries to abolish slavery, which was finalized in 1888. Analyzing the background of many of the Confederate emigrants, Brazil was not the only option for them. Their wealth, knowledge of transatlantic trade, and connection with Brazilian leaders were what brought them to Brazil. Access to agricultural lands and a steady climate were beneficial to them as they were already familiar with it and knew how to use it to farm to their advantage. ¹

The Festa dos Confederados is hosted at the Cemitério do Campo or the Cemetery of the Field in Sāo Paulo, Brazil. This cemetery is the burial place of many American Confederates that migrated to Brazil. ¹

This cemetery was formed in 1867 when Beatrice Oliver, an American immigrant, died. Beatrice Oliver's husband, Colonel Oliver, was unable to bury her body within the municipal cemetery at the time because it belonged to the Catholic Church, of which they were not members. Colonel Oliver laid his wife to rest in land near their home, where she was soon joined by two of Oliver's daughters who passed shortly after Beatrice. Following their burials, Colonel Oliver gave up around one hectare or 2.47 acres of land to the other American immigrants in the area so that they too could bury their dead. The Cemitério do Campo now holds an estimated four hundred to five hundred graves, an ecumenical chapel, and many objects regarding the Confederacy. This includes the Confederate Memorial Obelisk which has carved the names of the first American immigrants to settle in Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, accompanied by the Confederate flag on all four sides. The flag on the memorial is not the only one found on the grounds, as the Cemetery of the Field is home to one of the largest Confederate flags in the world. This giant flag is where many of the festivities for the Festa dos Confederados take place. ¹

The Cemitério do Campo is now under the care of the American Descendants Brotherhood. This is a group that consists of the descendants of the Americans who first settled in the region in 1866. This association focuses on the maintenance of the cemetery, the immigration history, and encouraging cooperation among the descendants. They have a large role in hosting Festa dos Confederados as well. ¹

The purpose of Festa dos Confederados is to celebrate the Confederate history and heritage of Santa Barbara d'Oeste. It takes place at Cemitério do Campo in São Paulo, Brazil towards the end of the month of April. Festa dos Confederados contains many aspects that correlate closely with stereotypes that have commonly been associated with United States Southern culture. Thousands of people, including natives and tourists, travel from afar to attend this celebration each year. Many attendees of this festival dress in replicas of traditional clothing worn during the time period of the Confederacy. This includes Confederate army uniforms and dresses with hoop skirts. The dresses themselves can take months to sew, and some include designs of things that the American immigrants brought to Brazil, including crops. And while these outfits are seen and worn quite commonly at this event, there is no official dress code for those attending. Just as there are some who attend in traditional garb, there are an equal number of attendees in modern clothing. The one thing that is found consistently throughout the outfits and the festival itself is the Confederate flag. ¹

The Confederate flag is a central part of Festa dos Confederados as it is the main form of Confederate representation. Despite the fact that there are many controversies surrounding this symbol, it can still be found on many surfaces around the festival. This includes clothing, booths, gravestones, memorials, and an assortment of items for sale. ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Festa dos Confederados”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

Festa Dos Confederados is Annual festival in São Paulo, Brazil, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²