Corpus Christi: Holiday or Optional Day Off? The History Behind the Date in Brazil
Corpus Christi: The Secret Behind the Brazilian "Holiday"!This Thursday (May 30), many Brazilians are preparing to celebrate Corpus Christi, an important religious holiday for the Catholic Church. However, the question of whether it is a public holiday or an optional holiday still raises doubts for many.
Contrary to what many people think, Corpus Christi is not a national holiday, but rather an optional holiday. This means that, in most Brazilian cities, employers are not required to give their employees the day off. The decision to suspend activities or not is at the discretion of each company.
However, some cities have specific legislation that makes Corpus Christi a municipal holiday. This allows residents of these locations to enjoy a well-deserved rest. Examples of these municipalities include Rio de Janeiro (RJ), São Paulo (SP), Maceió (AL), and Vitória (ES).
In the Federal District, Thursday will be an optional workday, which means that extending the weekend by taking Friday off will depend on each company's policy.
But what is Corpus Christi, anyway? The expression, which comes from Latin and means “body of Christ,” is celebrated by the Catholic Church always 60 days after Easter Sunday or on the Thursday following the Sunday of Holy Trinity. In this tradition, Thursday is seen as the day when Jesus Christ instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist, symbolized by bread and wine.
The feast of Corpus Christi was instituted by Pope Urban IV on September 8, 1264, through a papal bull entitled “Transiturus,” which granted indulgences to people who attended Mass on this day. Although the pope died a few years after instituting the feast, its adoption was reaffirmed by the Council of Vienne in 1311, consolidating its celebration decades later.
A notable tradition associated with Corpus Christi is the holding of processions, symbolizing the journey of the “people of God” in search of Promised Land. In some Brazilian cities, as in Portugal, the streets are decorated with “carpets” made of colored sawdust and other materials, creating a festive setting for the celebration.
