Discovery Day is observed in Brazil every April 22, commemorating the discovery of the country by Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500. This observance, while significant, is not a public holiday. The discovery is rooted in the Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in 1494, which divided newly discovered lands between Portugal and Spain, granting Portugal rights to Brazil. Cabral's expedition, which departed from the Tagus on March 9, 1500, reached the Brazilian coast on April 22, landing in Porto Seguro and naming the land Ilha de Vera Cruz, or Island of the True Cross. The day serves as a reminder of Brazil's historical beginnings and the maritime exploration era.