Feira de Santana

Feira de Santana is a city in Bahia, Brazil. It is the second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 616,272 according to IBGE's census in 2022. The city is located 100 km northwest of Salvador, the capital of Bahia. These two cities are connected by BR-324, a four-lane divided highway. Feira de Santana is an important part of the region, known for its history and culture.

Name

Feira de Santana was once spelled Feira de Santa Anna. The city’s name comes from cattle fairs that took place at the St-Anne-of-the-Fountains Plantation in the 1800s. The plantation was known as Fazenda Sant'Anna dos Olhos D’Água.

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History

The St-Anne-of-the-Fountains Plantation was set up a long time ago in the 18th century by Domingos Barbosa de Araujo and his wife Anna Brandoa. It was in the "backcountry" area of Bahia, called sertão. Many cowboys used this place when they traveled from their pastures to the port of Cachoeira. Over time, the cowboys started fires to clear old brush, which made the land even drier and hurt the cattle industry. But many people, both from Brazil and other countries, began to live there. The city grew with wide streets and many shops to serve the growing number of people. It became the second city in Bahia and the 31st in all of colonial Brazil.

Today, Feira de Santana is still the second largest city in Bahia and a nice place for travelers to stop.

Culture

Feira de Santana is well-known for its lively parties and festivals. One of the biggest events is St Anne's Day, which happens in the last week of July and includes fun activities like bumba-meu-boi, segura-a-véia, and burrinha. Other celebrations include the Micareta carnival party, held 15 days after Passover, the Festival of Violeiros in September, and a donkey race in November. The city has many places to explore, such as a market for local artists, a museum of contemporary art, and the Antares Astronomical Observatory. It is also the home of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Feira de Santana.

Historic structures

Feira de Santana has many important old buildings, and some are protected as special monuments. The whole historic center does not have special protection, but there are still lots of interesting places to see.

Some of these historic places include the Church of Our Lady of Remedies, St. Ann Cathedral, Bandstand at Bernardino Bahia Square, Town Hall of Feira de Santana, Santa Casa de Misericórdia of Feira de Santantana, Municipal Public Archive of Feira de Santana, and the Municipal Market of Feira de Santana. There are also many other buildings like bandstands, schools, and chapels that have a long history.

Economy and transport

Feira de Santana has an airport called Gov. João Durval Carneiro Airport. Because it is near many important roads, the city helps connect traffic from the south and west of Brazil to Salvador and other cities in the northeast. This makes Feira de Santana a busy place for business and trade.

Education

The city of Feira de Santana has its own university called the Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana.

Sport

Feira de Santana has a motorsport rallying club called Trail Clube Bahia that helps with the Rally Bahia race.

The city has two main stadiums: Estádio Alberto Oliveira and Estádio Jodilton Souza. There are also four football clubs in the city: Bahia de Feira, Feirense EC, Fluminense de Feira, and Associação Desportiva Comunitária Astro.

Notable people

Feira de Santana is proud to have many famous people from different areas. Some well-known individuals include Anderson Talisca, a footballer, and Carlos Felipe, a mixed martial artist. Others are Divaldo Pereira Franco, a spiritist medium, and Fábio Baiano, a retired footballer. The city also produced Irving São Paulo, an actor, and several other footballers like Joedson Santos Almeida, Jorge Wagner, Júnior Baiano, and Maria Quitéria, who was a lieutenant and the first woman to serve in a military unit in Brazil.

Climate

Feira de Santana has a warm and wet climate, which is typical for the area in Bahia, Brazil. The city experiences a lot of rain, especially during the summer months, making it a green and lively place. This climate helps support the local plants and agriculture around the city.