On 12 of September, H. E. Mr. Paulo Roberto Campos Tarisse da Fontoura, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federative Republic of Brazil to the Republic of Bulgaria,

and his wife - Mrs. Maria Teresa Tarisse da Fontoura, gave a reception at their residence in Sofia on the occasion of the national holiday of the country. The Day of the Declaration of Independence of Brazil /7 September 1822/ was honoured by numerous guests, friends of the fifth largest, sixth most populous and ninth most economic country in the world.

Н. E. Mr. Paulo Roberto Campos Tarisse da Fontoura made a welcome speech to his guests:

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good evening. It is with great joy that my wife and me we welcome you to celebrate the 202nd anniversary of Brazil's independence

I warmly welcome the presence of the Bulgarian authorities and representative from the Parliament and Judiciary. I would also like to greet my colleagues from the diplomatic corps, the Brazilian community and friends.

Brazil's Independence Day is celebrated on September 7 because it was on that day, in 1822, that Dom Pedro I, then Prince Regent of Brazil, proclaimed the country's independence.

History is alive and goes through a great battle of narratives. A battle over how facts are seen, perceived, recorded and told over time. Every historical fact, every important event that happened on a given date, repeats itself and calls for us to make a reflection on each issue. By declaring “Independence or Death!”, Dom Pedro I initiated the process that would end with the creation of a sovereign Brazilian State.

The independence process had many actors and, certainly, the entire population of the country – especially the poor, black and indigenous populations – played an essential role and were active in the process of breaking the colonial bond.

The Independence of Brazil took place in the context of the independence of several countries in South America: Argentina became independent in 1810; Colombia, Venezuela and Paraguay, in 1811; Chile, in 1818; Peru, in 1821; and Ecuador, in 1822. There is indeed synchrony between these processes, and this is no coincidence. History always moves in a synchronic manner. Brazil became independent from Portugal in 1822, and this certainly had to do with the liberal ideas that were circulating everywhere, with the economic changes that were happening in Europe. In short, this is a very complex story, but we must remember when we talk about Brazil's Independence that this is part of another, more general framework, which is the process of Independence in the Americas.

Independence Day is our most important national holiday. Parades and civic events are organized all over Brazil. We Brazilians are lively. We love our country and honor our culture and our diversity. We value the country that we have built over the last two centuries.

As many of you know, I arrived in Sofia at the end of November last year. This is, therefore, the first time that my wife and I are celebrating, together with the Embassy staff, Brazil's national day. A true celebration, for a Brazilian, needs to be accompanied by music. So, I will once again thank everyone for coming and leave you in the company of Véssela, this Bulgarian friend and singer, who interprets Brazilian songs extremely well, with her band.

After His Excellency's speech, the guests enjoyed wonderful world-famous Brazilian songs, performed by Vesela Morova, accompanied by piano and also tasted specialties of Brazilian cuisine, as well as the famous refreshing Brazilian drink "caipirinha".

The pictures are provided by the Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil.