The Centenary Fig Tree or Old Fig Tree of Florianópolis is one of the city's historical symbols.

As Zininho used to say in Rancho de Amor a Ilha: ”Ilha da Velha Figueira, where it's cool in the afternoon, I'm going to read my newspaper“.

With more than 150 years of history, it stands in the middle of Praça XV de Novembro and has become one of the must-see tourist attractions for those visiting Ilha da Magia.

It was born in 1871 in the garden of the Mother Church, our current Cathedral, and was transplanted to Praça XV 20 years later.

Its resistance to the weather can be seen in the stakes that help hold up its immense branches.

There is no official version of the origin of the fig tree that is now a symbol of the island.

There are suppositions that the tree may have come from the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro along with the royal palms that still exist in the square next to the monument in honor of the people of Santa Catarina who died in the Paraguayan War.

Stories and Legends of Old Figueira

The fig tree is believed to have sprung up in 1871 in a garden in front of the Mother Church, which is now the Metropolitan Cathedral.

In February 1891, the tree was transplanted to its current location, possibly to enlarge the staircase leading up to the Cathedral.

There is also a popular version which says that the fig tree was removed because it obstructed the view of a provincial president who was courting a lady on the other side of the square.

It is not known for sure why it was moved to the square. But there are reports that the beliefs of the time were that if a tree was cut down, the witches who lived in it could put a curse on it.

Wishing Tree

According to local folklore, the fig tree is considered a mystical and wish-granting tree.

To activate it, simply turn the tree clockwise, as follows:

• Once to return to Florianópolis;
• Twice to find a pair;
• Three times to get married;
• Seven times to fulfill other wishes.

When visitors meet it for the first time, they have to walk around it three times, holding hands, in an anti-clockwise direction, to bring good luck.

And if none of this works out, the person has to drink tea from the leaf of the tree. Then there are the steps to get out of a bad relationship, which people are not sure how to detail.

The tradition related to the fig tree is said to have arisen during the replanting of the tree in the square, which took place during a wedding day.

The priest is said to have said that those who passed by the fig tree would soon get married, giving rise to the famous legend of the fig tree as a matchmaker.

The fig tree and the fig tree

Although many associate the fig tree in Praça XV with the name of the Figueirense soccer team, the club's name is actually a reference to Bairro da Figueira, which is now part of the city center and used to be near the Rita Maria terminal. .

This is where many of the meetings that gave rise to the team took place and there was a fig tree there. The fig tree that gave rise to the name of the neighborhood and the team no longer exists.

In the book “Praça XV - Where it all happens”, researcher Cesar do Canto Machado reproduces accounts of this story.

Visiting the Centenary Fig Tree is important to understand a little more about the beliefs and traditions of the island's Manezinhos.

In addition to the Centenary Fig Tree, the historic center of Florianópolis offers other tourist attractions such as the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Miramar Memorial, the Public Market, the Cruz e Sousa Palace and the Santa Catarina Historical Museum.