Considered one of many of the most important celebrations that are part of the popular culture of Maranhão, the Festa do Divino Espírito Santo stands out in São Luís and Alcântara, due to its wide dissemination and the impact it has on the population.
The tradition that crosses generations, is carried out in the month of May or June, ending on Pentecost Sunday, and since Hallelujah Saturday. The festival had its origins in Portugal, with the construction of the Espírito Santo Church in Alenquer, in the 13th century, by order of Queen Dona Isabel, the festival arrived in Brazil in the 16th century with the colonizers. Each year, at the end of the festival, the emperor and empress pass on their positions to the butlers who will occupy them the following year, starting the cycle again.
