CiiAi'. III. NINE-DAY FESTIVALS. 87 



amidst the splendours of tropical nature ; but to me 

 they were full of novelty, and were besides interesting 

 as exhibiting much that was peculiar in the manners of 

 the people. The festivals celebrate either the anni- 

 versaries of events concerning saints, or those of the 

 more important transactions in the life of Christ. To 

 them have been added, since the Independence, many 

 gala days connected with events in the Brazilian 

 national history ; but these have all a semi-religious 

 character. The holidays had become so numerous, and 

 interfered so much with trade and industry towards the 

 year 1852, that the Brazilian Government were 

 obliged to reduce them ; obtaining the necessary per- 

 mission from Rome to abolish several which were of 

 minor importance. Many of those which have been 

 retained are. declining in importance since the intro- 

 duction of railways and steam boats, and the increased 

 devotion of the people to commerce ; at the time 

 of our arrival, however, they were in full glory. 

 The way they were managed was in this fashion. A 

 general manager or " Juiz" for each festa was elected 

 by lot every year in the vestry of the church, and to him 

 were handed over all the paraphernalia pertaining to 

 the particular festival which he was chosen to manage ; 

 the image of the saint, the banners, silver crowns and so 

 forth. He then employed a number of people to go 

 the round of the parish and collect alms, towards 

 defraying the expenses. It was considered that the 

 gi'eater the amount of money spent in wax candles, fire- 

 works, music and feasting, the greater the honour done 

 to the saint. If the Juiz was a ricJi man, he seldom 



