City history
Founded on a high plateau in 1554 as a Jesuit mission named after Saint Paul, Sao Paulo transitioned from local mean time to standard time in 1914 and observed seasonal daylight saving until 2019.
Chapter one
Indigenous name
"Dried fish"
Indigenous Tupi name for the high plateau where the city was founded, referring to fish left stranded and dried on riverbanks following seasonal floods.
Dried fish
An indigenous Tupi name used by native inhabitants to describe the high plateau region near the Tiete and Tamanduatei rivers, where fish were stranded and dried after floodwaters receded.
Saint Paul of the Fields of Piratininga
Assigned by Jesuit priests Manoel da Nobrega and Jose de Anchieta on January 25, 1554, upon founding a school and mission on the Conversion of Saint Paul feast day.
Saint Paul
Shortened official name adopted when King Joao V of Portugal granted the settlement full municipal city status in 1711, reflecting its growth beyond the initial mission post.
Chapter two
Brazil enacted Law 2,784 to establish official time zones across the country on January 1, 1914. Sao Paulo moved from local mean time (approximately UTC-3:06:28) to standard Brasilia Time (BRT, UTC-3).
Brazil introduced daylight saving time for the first time under Decree 20,466. Clocks in Sao Paulo were advanced by one hour from October 3, 1931, to April 1, 1932, to conserve energy during summer.
Presidential Decree 9,772 abolished daylight saving time across Brazil, citing changes in energy consumption patterns. Sao Paulo remained on permanent Brasilia Standard Time (BRT, UTC-3) year-round.
Chapter three
Jesuit priests founded the Patio do Colegio on January 25, 1554, establishing a school to evangelize indigenous Tupi communities and creating the settlement that grew into modern Sao Paulo.
The grand clock tower of Estacao da Luz was completed in 1901. Its prominent British clock served as the primary temporal reference for passengers, coffee traders, and urban traffic across central Sao Paulo.
The University of Sao Paulo established its astronomical observatory in Fontes do Ipiranga Park, advancing solar, atmospheric, and timekeeping research for the region.
Sao Paulo held its first organized public New Year's Eve celebration on Avenida Paulista, creating a massive annual midnight countdown tradition that draws millions of revelers.