Sunday 's party marked the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War and was held in a rural Brazilian town colonized by families fleeing Reconstruction . Thousands turn out every year , including many who trace their ancestry back to the dozens of families who , enticed by the Brazilian government 's offers of land grants , settled here from 1865 to around 1875 . Amid food and beer stands bedecked with red-white-and-blue ribbons , extended families tucked into diet-busting barbecue and hamburger lunches as 'Dixie ' played on a loop .
Sunday 's party marked the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War and was held in a rural Brazilian town colonized by families fleeing Reconstruction . Thousands turn out every year , including many who trace their ancestry back to the dozens of families who , enticed by the Brazilian government 's offers of land grants , settled here from 1865 to around 1875 . Amid food and beer stands bedecked with red-white-and-blue ribbons , extended families tucked into diet-busting barbecue and hamburger lunches as 'Dixie ' played on a loop .