Conventional Festa da Achiropita returns to São Paulo

Commemoration is held every Saturday and Sunday in August; last event was two years ago

After two years without being able to be held because of the pandemic of the new coronavirus, the traditional Italian party of Bixiga, in celebration of Nossa Senhora da Achiropita, reaches its 96th edition and returning to face-to-face.

During the event, several stalls are set up along the streets of the neighborhood, offering visitors typical Italian dishes such as fogazza, fricazza, polenta and pasta. According to São Paulo Turismo (SPTuris), the event attracts around 200 thousand people.

The party, which is part of the official calendar of the city of São Paulo, is a tribute to the patron saint of the neighborhood and began with the arrival of the first Italian immigrants to Bixiga, at the beginning of the last century.

For this year’s edition, 35 stalls are planned, two of them dedicated to the biggest attraction of the party: fogazza, whose lines can take up to two hours. According to the organizers, more than 200 volunteers work on the production of fogazzas, a fried and crispy dough, stuffed with cheese, reminiscent of a pastry.

The party is held every Saturday and Sunday in August, until the 4th of September, and takes place between Treze de Maio, São Vicente and Doutor Luiz Barreto streets, in Bixiga, downtown São Paulo. On Saturdays, it starts at 6pm. On Sunday it starts earlier, at 17:30.

In addition to selling sweets and snacks at street stalls, the party also promotes novenas to Nossa Senhora and a procession in honor of the patron saint of the neighborhood, which takes place on August 21, from 3 pm. The income collected is intended for social projects in the parish.

Source: Agência Brasil