Brazil Quasi-Nationwide Bank Holiday On November 20

Sources: Portal Terra (São Paulo) and Brazil public holidays (qppstudio.net). Brazil's federation of banks (Federação Brasileira de Bancos, aka. Febraban) has announced that banks in 303 of the main cities of Brazil would observe the upcoming Dia Nacional da Consciência Negra holiday on Thursday, November 20, 2008. On that date, these banks will be closed to the public.

Update (November 16, 2008) According to the presidential agency SEPPIR (Secretaria Especial de Políticas de Promoção da Igualdade Racial) the November 20, Dia Nacional da Consciência Negra, holiday will be observed as a public holiday in over 700 cities throughout Brazil. Among these 700 cities are the following state capitals: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Manaus, Maceió, Goiânia and João Pessoa. The Federal District (where the country's capital, Brasilia is located) and the region of of Bahia, will observe the day as a ponto facultativo.