Landing of the 33 Patriots Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Uruguay

Landing of the 33 Patriots Day is celebrated on the Monday closest to April 19 and this year it will be marked on April 17. It is celebrated to commemorate the anniversary of an iconic event in Uruguayan history. It is on this day that the military group Thirty-Three Orientals crossed a river to plant their flag on a war-torn region in Brazil and assert its dominance in the region. Today, it is marked as a federal holiday in the country. Traditionally, the day was celebrated on April 19 but this has since changed.

The background of Landing of the 33 Patriots Day

Landing of the 33 Patriots Day is observed annually on the Monday closest to April 19. Uruguay’s rich and wide-spanning history is incomplete without a mention of the Landing of the 33 Patriots. It all started when military leaders Juan Antonio Lavalleja and Manuel Oribe joined forces to create a paramilitary group called the ‘Treinta y Tres Orientales,’ or Thirty-Three Orientals. The central purpose of the group was to eliminate occupying Brazilian forces from Uruguay’s boundaries and reassert military dominance in the region.

On April 19, 1825, the 33 fighters crossed the Plata River into Uruguay, entering the territory without alerting the Brazilian patrolling forces. At the crack of the dawn, they planted the red, white, and blue Flag of Thirty-Three Orientals and changed the course of Uruguayan history. The news of their valor traveled swiftly and sent a stern message to the Brazilian occupiers. The move launched a full-blown civil-disobedience movement, soon turning into the Cisplatine War, which went on for 500 days.

The Thirty-Three Orientals returned to safety and continued their awareness campaign. They knocked on doors, distributed fliers, and relayed critical information about the nature of Brazil’s occupation in Uruguay and the imminent “Brazilianization” of the country. On August 25, 1825, Uruguay declared complete independence from Brazil. The declaration was honored by the occupying forces in 1828. The proud and grateful nation of Uruguay celebrates the anniversary of the event as Landing of the 33 Patriots Day.

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5 SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT URUGUAY

• Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America.
• Uruguay leads the continent in terms of progressive political and labor conditions.
• Uruguay is the only country in the world with legal same-sex marriage, abortion, and marijuana.
• Uruguay has so many animals that there are more sheep and cows than people there.
• Uruguay’s geopolitical location places it completely out of the tropics.

LANDING OF THE 33 PATRIOTS DAY DATES