Two sisters who went viral for brawling when the eldest blew out the youngest girl’s candle have become online influencers and now plan to start modelling careers.
And as this video of the birthday a year later – they are once again the best of friends.
In October 2020, little Maria Eduarda celebrated her third birthday and a video of her yanking her older sister’s hair after she blew out her candle before the younger girl had a chance went viral on social media.
The viral scene took place in front of some 15 guests in the municipality of Pato Branco in the southern Brazilian state of Parana.
In last year’s video, six-year-old Maria Antonia leans in and blows out her sister’s candle before she has a chance to.
Birthday girl Maria Eduarda then flies into a rage, grabbing and pulling on her sister’s hair.
The sisters’ godmother, Gabriela Aureluk, later posted the video on Instagram.
Ms Aureluk told local media that she posted the video for the family because she found it funny, but she never intended it to reach a wider audience.
She said: “A lot of people shared it, and we were concerned with everyone’s negative reaction.”
The girls’ mother, Marines dos Santos Fernandes, explained to local media that Maria Antonia blew out her sister’s candle out of habit, as her younger sister was unable to blow hard enough in previous years.
She said: “She did it to help her sister, and not to provoke her.”
However, the mother also admitted: “Maria Antonia was also a bit jealous because her younger sister got presents.”
One year later, little Maria Eduarda celebrated her fourth birthday, and family members shared the footage of the smiling sisters on social media with the message: “Thank God everything worked out well.”
The little ones sang ‘Happy Birthday’ together and posed for snaps with beaming smiles.
The girls’ mother Marines dos Santos Fernandes admitted that she spoke to Maria Antonia, now aged seven, and her younger sister beforehand to make sure there was no repeat of last year’s antics.
The mum said: “This year, it was not easy to make sure Maria Antonia respected Maria Eduarda’s moment because she was waiting to blow out the candle again, she wanted it a lot.
“I thought it would be ruined again, but thank God everything worked out well.”
According to the news site G1, the two Marias already have over 250,000 followers on Instagram and their mum plans to launch them into modelling.
She said: “We have had some interviews with international agencies, in Mexico, and we did some work in Costa Rica, plus we continue with promotions and sponsorships on Instagram. Now, we are preparing them to model. We will travel to Porto Alegre this weekend to take part in a parade.”
