Tiradentes Day, celebrated on April 21, is a national holiday in Brazil. This year, the holiday will fall next Monday (21).
The holiday of April 21, Tiradentes Day, was instituted by Law No. 10.607/2002. The date honors Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, known as Tiradentes, martyr of Minas Gerais Inconfidência.
The holiday is marked by civic solemnities across the country. Parades, honors and cultural events recall the historical figure of Tiradentes and its role in the Brazil Independence Movement.
Tiradentes, Ensign of Cavalry, was considered the greatest leader of Inconfidência Mineira, a movement that sought the independence of Minas Gerais from Portuguese dominance in the late eighteenth century. The movement, however, was discovered by the Portuguese Crown, and Tiradentes was sentenced to death by hanging.
The figure of Tiradentes has become a symbol of the struggle for freedom, seen as a sacrifice for the country’s independence.
