2019-10-31 Thu

Saci Day or Dia do Saci in Portuguese is a day created by a Brazilian cultural non-governmental organization named Amigos do Saci to oppose the "American-influenced" holiday of Halloween. The Day of Saci is commemorated on the same day as the American holiday, October 31st.

Halloween celebrations in Brazil started in English schools, where it was an important celebration. Trying to oppose the American influence on Brazilian culture, the NGO Amigos do Saci established Saci Day. It was designed as a celebration of Brazil's culture and folklore, but few Brazilians commemorate it, even with official support in São Paulo state and a few municipalities.

The Saci, also called Saci-percent, is the best-known character of Brazilian folklore. It originated as a Guaraní legend in the Jesuit reductions of southern Brazil. In some regions, the Saci appears as an evil being, in others, as a playful and graceful creature.

Saci possesses supernatural powers and makes mischief indoors, especially at night; he is able to turn himself into the wind and disguise himself inside an apparently hollow bottle – once an unknowing person opens it, and he is free and able to continue his trickery.

In the year 1974, Brazil Post issued a stamp with the denomination of 0.40 Brazilian cruzeiros. The stamp depicts the Saci smoking pipe and flying in the air. The stamp is a beautiful colorful illustration. The name of the country along with the year of issue and the denomination value is depicted on top.

Image Courtesy: https://colnect.com

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