the festa do divino has biblical origins, but the celebrations can be traced back to the small town of alenquer, in portugal, during the 14th century - the festival made its way to angra dos reis sometime during the 17th century, and has been an important event in the city ever since.

the party is considered one of the most beautiful in rio state, and centers around the menino imperador (boy emperor), which is a boy from the region, who is chosen by lottery to represent the emperor of the holy spirit - the party begins, on the first day, at sunrise, with celebrations, in the form of songs, dances, processions and marches, continuing up until the evening.

to mark the end of the festival, there is a solemn procession, which travels through the city, parading the boy emperor and his entourage, and finally burning the quadro glória - the festa do divino espírito santo is also quite important in nearby paraty.