When is Our Lady of Aparecida?
In 2026, Our Lady of Aparecida falls on Monday, October 12, 2026. It is classified here as a national public holiday.
History of Our Lady of Aparecida
The Aparecida devotion traces its origin to 1717, when fishers in the Paraíba do Sul River near Guaratinguetá recovered pieces of a small clay image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Accounts connect the find with an unexpectedly successful catch. A household devotion grew into a regional pilgrimage and eventually one of the most important Catholic shrines in the world.
The image’s darkened appearance and its adoption by worshippers across class and racial lines have made Aparecida a powerful, sometimes differently interpreted national symbol. Pope Pius XI declared Our Lady of Aparecida patroness of Brazil in 1930. The present National Shrine developed in the twentieth century and receives large pilgrimages, especially around October 12.
Law No. 6,802, enacted in 1980, declares October 12 a national holiday for official veneration of the patron saint. That legal status does not mean all Brazilians share the devotion: Brazil protects religious freedom and contains many Christian, Afro-Brazilian, Indigenous, other-faith and non-religious communities. The holiday’s Catholic meaning and its nationwide civil closure should therefore both be described clearly.
How Our Lady of Aparecida is observed
October 12 is a national public holiday; large pilgrimages converge on Aparecida while parishes elsewhere hold Masses, novenas and processions.
Traditions of Our Lady of Aparecida
Pilgrimage to Aparecida
Pilgrims travel to the National Shrine in São Paulo state, sometimes completing long journeys on foot as acts of devotion.
Masses and processions
Parishes throughout Brazil celebrate Mass and may organise processions, novenas, hymns and community gatherings honouring the national patron saint.
Promises and thanksgiving
Devotees may light candles, leave ex-votos or fulfil personal promises in gratitude for help they attribute to Our Lady.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Brazil national holiday law and official calendar. Brazil distinguishes national holidays from ponto facultativo days for the federal public service; state, municipal, school and employer calendars may differ.
History sources: Law No. 6,802: national holiday for Our Lady of Aparecida, Municipality of Aparecida: history of the devotion and city.
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