The Exquisite Sweets Made in Pelotas:

The traditional sweets of Pelotas started being produced during the charque (jerked beef) cycle, which made possible the development of other activities and the emergence of a local community.

The majority of the charque produced was sent to the Northeast region of Brazil to be used as food for the slaves living on the region. The ships went carrying charque and came back carrying sugar,  which was produced there. That sugar was then used in the production of the sweets.

The strong influence of Italian, French, German and Pomeranian colonization also contributed to a rich cousine, focused on the production of handmade sweets and preserved foods.

In the befinning of the 20th century, the sweets from Pelotas began to be sold throughout the country, whereas before they used to be restricted to the city’s wealthy families.

FENADOCE – Brazil’s National Sweets Fair – is one of Pelotas’ biggest  tourist events. It happens every year at the Pelotas Event Center, located in the intersection of Avenida Presidente João Goulart with BR 116 and BR 392.
Website: https://www.fenadoce.com.br/

The Traditional Sweets of Pelotas are recognized as Cultural Patrimony of the Rio Grande do Sul State by the Law n°  11919/2003. In 2018, they were recognized as a Cultural Patrimony of Brazil.

The Tholl Group:

The Tholl Group (Patrimony of the Rio Grande do Sul State) was founded in 1987 in Pelotas by the actor João Bachilli, whose childhood dream was to become a “circus artist”. In the 90s, Tholl had created and given some small stage performances and, in 2002, the group created its first complete performance called “Tholl, Imagem e Sonho”, based upon the “Contemporany Circus” genre of performing arts.

The Tholl Group has the primary objective of developing new and successful performances while also exercising the citizenship rights of each one of its members in social inclusion and cultural projects.

Website: http://www.grupotholl.com

 

Sesc Music Festival:

In its 8th edition, Sesc International Festival of Music happened from January 15th to 26th 2018, in Pelotas. The event has as one of its objectives to motivate the development of musical production and promote international exchange and the appreciation of cultural patrimony. During the 12 days of the event, more than 500 professional musicians were involved in 50 concerts and 24 courses. Teachers and students of 15 different nationalities have been to Pelotas, coming from countries as Italy, Germany, Bulgaria, Belarus, France, Belgium, USA, Russia, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Peru and Brazil. The 8th Sesc International Festival of Music was held by Sistema Fecomércio-RS/Sesc, and sponsored by Pelotas City Hall, Catholic Federal University, Senac College, Unisinos, Pelotas Public Library, Ospa, Expresso Embaixador, Arroz Extremo Sul, Ecosul, Biri Refrigerantes and Café 35.

Website: https://www.sesc-rs.com.br/festival/

Pelotas Doce Natal (Pelotas Sweet Christmas)

Pelotas Sweet Christmas attractions take place in December in Coronel Pedro Osório Square and on Mercado Público’s Width. The attractions cover light shows, dancing waters, Santa Claus’ House and also concerts. The event is held by Pelotas City Hall and Pelotas CDL.

Pelotas Trivia

Pelotas citizens enjoy music a lot, that’s why there are many bars, pubs, night clubs, concert halls and restaurants that play electronic music and also present live singers and bands.

Pelotas is the home of Sopapo, which is a percussion instrument created by black workers of Pelotas charqueadas. To this day, this instrument is used in the carnival parades of our state.

Both the rural and the urban zones of Pelotas have monuments, beautiful landscapes and views, which have made the Brazilian television networks choose the city already three times to be the set of their productions: Incidente em Antares, recorded in the Porto zone; A Casa das Sete Mulheres, recorded in a charqueada in the rural area; and the movie O Tempo e o Vento,which was recorded in April 2012.

Pelotas was also the place of birth of Yolanda Pereira (16 October 1910 – 04 September 2001), who was the first Brazilian to achieve the title of Miss Universe, in 1930. However, this title isn’t oficially recognized by the Miss Universe Organization and one isn’t related to the other by any means.