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OREM — The Utah Brazilian Festival returns Saturday to Orem, offering Utahns a taste of the culture of the South American nation.
"It's a day to celebrate our culture," said Matilde Teixeira Wosnjuk, organizer of the free event through the Viva Brazil Cultural Center. "It's a festival for everybody, not just Brazilians."
The event goes from noon-7 p.m. on Saturday and is being held at University Place mall in Orem.
Wosnjuk, originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, but now living in Eagle Mountain, started organizing the event after experiencing the many festivals across Utah featuring the culture of other nations, but not her country. "How sad we don't have a festival," she thought.
Now marking its 20th year, it's morphed and changed locations over the years, but the intent is to showcase the culture of the largest nation in South America. "We feel Utah embraces all cultures," Wosnjuk said.
The Brazilian community in Utah, numbering around 30,000, community leaders estimate, has grown over the years. Earlier this year, a contingent of Brazilians and Brazilian Americans revived the Brazilian American Chamber of Commerce in Utah to promote business development within the community.
Food and vendors will be on hand for Saturday's festival and an array of performers will feature the music and dancing of Brazil. A samba parade is set to begin at 1 p.m.
Brazilian independence day is Sept. 7, same day as the festival, and Wosnjuk indicated the Brazilian national anthem would likely be performed at some point during the festival. But she doesn't typically play up Brazil's independence from Portugal at the event, held in early September each year.
Sept. 15 marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, which typically puts the focus on cultures connected to the Spanish language and the Spanish-speaking nations of the Western Hemisphere. Brazil is a Portuguese-speaking nation.
