Sources: Ministério do Planejamento, Orçamento e Gestão (Brasilia) and Brazil bank holidays and public holidays (qppstudio.net). The Federal Government of Brazil, through its Ministério do Planejamento, has issued a communique confirming that the 2 days of Carnival, as well as Ash Wednesday, are not non-working public holidays in Brazil, being, instead "pontos facultativos". [full story]