SF Bay Area Brazilian Day Festival is Brasarte & Casa de Cultura’s crown jewel event. It pays homage to two major celebrations in Brazil – Brazil’s Independence Day and a recreation of a Lavagem – a cleansing ceremony using song and dance that dates back to slavery when women washed the steps of the church for the festive mass on Sundays in Salvador. The festivities unfold as a street party and feature a musical procession, capoeira and dance demonstrations, live music, Brazilian and international food and craft stands and a samba circle. There are a host of international and local Brazilian performers invited to participate. The event brings together Brazilians living all over the San Francisco Bay Area and Americans of all ethnicities to celebrate the long-practiced traditions of Afro-Brazilians in Brazil.