The Olympic Torch left Brazil's modernist capital Brasília on Wednesday (4 May) and entered a very different world – the rural state of Goiás. On the first day of four that it will spend in the region, the torch had a taste of everything for which Goiás is celebrated, from baroque architecture and festivals to country music and waterfalls... not to mention some creative, and somewhat wacky, homages from the locals.

Everyday heroes share limelight with VIPs on first day of torch relay

They showed that the Olympic spirit is spreading out across Brazil, welcoming the flame with traditional dances and home-made decorations, as these photos from Fernando Soutello show...

First stop after Brasília was the quiet town of Corumbá de Goiás, where it seemed as if the whole population had come out on the streets in anticipation of one of the biggest days in Corumbá's history. Against the backdrop of one of the most spectacular waterfalls in central Brazil, the torch brought a holiday atmosphere to the entire town.

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One local resident, dentist and amateur marathon runner Lucio Monteiro, was not selected to carry the torch but still managed to steal the show. Dressed as the torch itself, he ran along alongside the procession and even did a little dance for the Rio2016.com cameras...

Inspired by the landscape in this part of Brazil, settlers from Europe named the torch’s next stop Pirenópolis. Only two hours from Brasília, the town has a tranquil old world feel that seems thousands of miles away, with its cobbled streets, baroque churches and gentle pace of life.

Pirenópolis does not owe only its name to Europe. The colourful Cavalhadas festival, when residents dress up as knights on horseback to re-enact medieval battles, has its origin in Portugal. Participants, including organiser Josè Quirini (below), put on a special show for the torch on Wednesday.

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For locals, probably the highlight of the day was the moment when the wildly popular country duo Zezé di Camargo and Luciano carried the torch. The two brothers were born in Pirenópolis and today are the town’s most famous sons. “The Games encourage peace and unity between people,” an emotional Zezé said. “This is really important at the current time in Brazil.”

The torch was able to escape the excited crowds later in the day. First, it rose into the blue big country sky of Goiás in a hot air balloon. Then a local resident carried the torch into the tree-tops, taking it for a canopy walk in one of the lush woods just outside Pirenópolis.

After all the pomp and circumstance of its first day in the country, it was the torch’s first real introduction to the heartland of Brazil – diverse, hospitable and endlessly surprising.