
Wearing traditional costumes and linking arms to dance, hundreds of people have taken part in a Brazilian festival to celebrate the 10,000 Confederates who migrated to South America from the U.S after the Civil War.

The Festa Confederada or Confederate Party is held annually in Santa Barbara d'Oeste near Sao Paulo.

It is organised by Brazilian descendants of families who fled the United States during the Reconstruction between 1865 and 1875, following the end of the Civil War.

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People dance in traditional outfits at the annual Festa Confederada in Brazil which honours confederates who fled the United States after the civil war

The dancers link arms and dance on a stage decorated in the Confederate flag at the festival which is held near Sao Paulo

The festival is organised by Brazilian descendants of families who fled the United States during the Reconstruction between 1865 and 1875, following the end of the Civil War

The women wear traditional outfits from the time of the civil war which included large dresses which are hooped around the bottom

Two of the dancers take a bow after their performance at the festival yesterday which is held annually in Santa Barbara d'Oeste

They were enticed to Brazil by offers of cheap land from Emperor Dom Pedro II, who hoped to gain expertise in cotton farming, the so-called Confederados developed a small community in the countryside of Sao Paulo state in a place now called Americana.

Most married into the broader population, but many families, some of whom are also descended from African slaves, remain loyal to their southern American identity.

Thousands attend the festival which is held at the American Cemetery, or Cemiterio dos Americanos, where graves of settlers and descendants remain to this day.

The festival features traditional Southern-style dancing, music and cuisine.

As well as dancing, the festival also sees people enjoy Southern-style dancing as well as cooking and eating Southern-style cuisine

A Brazilian couple dance at the Festa Confederada. The U.S. settlers eventually assimilated with local Brazilians and no longer speak English

The Confederate flag carries no stigma or political meaning in Brazil. However, many in the United States consider the flag a symbol of racism, slavery and segregation

The U.S. settlers eventually assimilated with local Brazilians and some now are racially mixed while many others no longer speak English.

Organizers say the festival represents tradition, ancestral heritage and happiness and is not associated with the negative connotations of the Confederacy.

The flag carries no stigma or political meaning in Brazil.

However, many in the United States consider the flag a symbol of racism, slavery and segregation.

Public outcry over those connotations has led to the steady withdrawal of the flag from public display in recent years.

Fred Padovese and Livia Paulilo pay their respects to one of the first American settlers at his grave in the American cemetery

A woman dressed in a traditional hoop skirt pays her respects to the first settlers along with a young child at the Festa Confederada