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Like many other novels by Jorge Amado, Home Is the Sailor is set in Bahia, one of the states of Brazil. On the second of July, one of the novel's characters organises a ceremony during which

[trumpet sounds] wake the sun of the second of July, which—as the famous song claims—"on this day is Brazilian and shines brighter than on the first day of creation".

(I have no access to the Portuguese text or an English translation; the above quote is translated into English from the German translation by Curt Meyer-Clason, published by S. Fischer in 2013.)

The second of July is the day on which Bahia commemorates the end of the Siege of Salvador in 1823, which occurred during the Brazilian War of Independence. (The Independence of Brazil is actually celebrated on 7 September.)

I have not been able to determine which song is meant in the above quote. I could not find a reference to creation in the Brazilian National Anthem, the Brazilian Flag Anthem, the Hino da Independência or the Brazilian Republic Anthem. Apparently, the song is not one of these anthems. What is the famous song referenced in the quote?

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Probably "Hino de Bahia" as per this Google Books reference:

Dois de Julho patriots sang enthusiastically, as indicated by the many new anthems reported in the press. What is today known as the Dois de Julho anthem is usually attributed to Ladislau dos Santos Titara, whose poetry has often been cited on these pages (see figure 1.2). It begins with the lines:

The sun rises on Dois de Julho
It shines more brightly than on the first [of July]
It's a sign that on this day
Even the sun is Brazilian

The corresponding stanza in the Portuguese version is

Nasce o Sol a 2 de Julho
Brilha mais que no primeiro
É sinal que neste dia
Até o Sol, até o Sol é brasileiro

Found with a search for brazilian song bahia "sun is brazilian"

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  • Admittedly, it still doesn't refer to the "first day of creation", but the line is "than on the first", and speaking of "the first day" without specifying a frame does suggest the very first day.
    – Sean Duggan
    Commented Nov 29, 2021 at 13:40
  • That seems to be the intended song. The first day "of creation" may be a mistranslation, but I have no access to the Portuguese text of the novel.
    – Tsundoku
    Commented Nov 29, 2021 at 13:52

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