PIRENOPOLIS, Brazil (AP) — The heartland Brazilian city of Pirenópolis is hosting its annual Cavalhadas festival, a Holy Spirit celebration where participants ride horses, wear masks and don floral headpieces.
The tradition began in the 1800s with a Portuguese priest who wanted to celebrate the Holy Spirit — one of the entities of the Roman Catholic Church’s trinity — and also commemorate the victory of Iberian Christian knights over the Moors.
The festivities include an open-air reenactment of a battle between Christian warriors and Muslims. At the end, the defeated Moors are converted to Catholicism.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
____
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Copyright © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
