Did you know that there have already been two dates for the celebration of Independence of Brazil ? The 7th of September, when independence was actually proclaimed, and the 12th of October?
D. Pedro I proclaimed independence on September 7, 1822, that all Brazilians already know. But at the time, no. With the difficulty of disseminating information across the gigantic national territory, most people did not find out about it on the day, not even in the month of September.
The general population only learned about the good news on October 12 of the same year, the date of the beginning of Dom Pedro I’s reign as Emperor of Brazil and also the day of his 24th birthday. That’s right, when he proclaimed independence, he was very young, he was only 23 years old.
When Dom Pedro I abdicated the throne in the name of his son, in 1831, to return to Portugal, it no longer made sense to celebrate his coronation on 12 October.
The idea, then, was to move the celebration to December 2, the birth date of Dom Pedro II. But, as at the time he was only a 6-year-old boy, who did not actually assume power, the date did not catch on.
It was only then that the 7th of September regained strength and consolidated itself as Brazil’s Independence Day.
Source: CNN Brasil
