Real Brazilian Portuguese & Culture
Dia dos Pais Today, on the second Sunday of August, it is Father’s day in Brazil, known as Dia dos Pais (Day of Fathers). Pai is the Brazilian Portuguese word for dad, and Pais is the plural of pai. However, pais, in Portuguese is also the word for “parents,” as in, “meus pais” (my parents). And, things [...]
The Reggae Scene in São Luís do Maranhão When the reggae movement was first taking roots in Brazil during the 1970′s, it’s influence was seen to be the strongest in Brazil’s Northern region. Reggae completely took over the music scene in the Brazilian state of Maranhão, especially in the capital city São Luís. So much, in fact that [...]
Brazilians have a phenominal sense of dark humor (and sarcasm). There are a few websites that I peruse once in a while, all great Brazilian humor sites. Here’s the list: 1. Não Salvo 2. Chongas 3. Jacaré Banguela 4. Não Intendo 5. Te Dou um Dado?
Awkward in Portuguese How do you say awkward in portuguese? Americans love awkwardness, or at least you would think so given how much they talk about it. But Brazilians have never really had a concept for “awkwardness,” and so Brazilian Portuguese would logically not have a word for a concept that doesn’t exist. Brazilians are [...]
Crazy Brazilian Kid’s Parties Brazilians are great at throwing parties, but one thing that I’ve always found odd is how we regard the first birthday (primeiro aniversário) as this monumental occasion that needs to be extravagantly documented. I mean, why set the bar to such an incredibly high standard right out of the gate – [...]
Balloon Decorating – A Brazilian Specialty There are some things that Brazilians just do better than other people, cleaning, for example. And soccer. And now this. Brazilians have some serious balloon decorating skills. In fact, I can’t think of a culture that makes more use of balloons as a party decoration. The use of balloons [...]
Carnaval in Olinda Along with Rio de Janeiro and Salvador, Olinda has one of three most attended carnivals in Brazil. The carnival of Olinda, however, is certainly the most popular in Brazil, in the sense that the party is protagonized by the people. In Rio, the main attraction is the parade of samba schools, which [...]
A lot of ex-pat blogs tell the stories of either avid travelers who have volunteered to get lost in a new culture or people who have relocated to another city for love. More often than not, Brazilian expat bloggers live in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo or a city that can be spotted on a [...]
“Você já imaginou todas as coisas bizarras que faria do meu lado?” “Did you ever imagine all of the bizarre things you would do by my side?” Renato asked me with that sly, yet timid grin pasted on his face. We sat stuffed together in the backseat of a weathered, 2001 Fiat. The subwoofers of [...]
Valentine’s day in Brazil Dia dos Namorados is Valentine’s day in Brazil (namorado/a means boyfriend/girlfriend in Portuguese). Valentines day in Brazil takes place on June 12th (it probably isn’t celebrated in Febuary like everywhere else in the world as to not compete with carnaval – a time when everyone in Brazil becomes “single” for a [...]
Arroz Vermelho Some foods are so particular to a small, micro-region, that they remain unmentioned when speaking about the food of a larger, geographical region. Arroz Vermelho (red rice) is one of these foods. Arroz Vermelho is a dish that is neither representative of typical Northeastern cuisine, nor is it part of quintessential Bahian fare. [...]
I loved that my husband was from Bahia, the land of axé, beautiful beaches, moqueca and acarjé. However, it wasn’t until Renato picked me up at the airport in Salvador and took me on a seven hour long bus ride that only seemed to get higher and higher into the mountains, pausing for a pit [...]
Hotel Unique – São Paulo Building: Hotel Unique Architect: Ruy Ohtake Project Year: 1999 Construction: 2002 Address: Avenida Brigadeiro Luis Antonio 4700 – Jardim Paulista São Paulo 01402-002 Brazil Architecht Ruy Ohtake Description of Hotel Unique “Upon defining the form, as a long inverted arch (almost 100 meters in length) with two lateral concrete gables, [...]
Luis Fernando Verissimo Luís Fernando Veríssimo (born September 26, 1936 in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) is a Brazilian writer. Verissimo is the son of Brazilian writer Erico Verissimo and lived with his father in the United States during his childhood. Verissimo states that he had tried many things before writing. In a lecture for the students of journalism at Unisinos, Verissimo said that “at the [...]
Carlos Drummond de Andrde Carlos Drummond de Andrde (October 31, 1902 -August 17, 1987) was perhaps the most influential Brazilian poet of the 20th century. He has become something of a national poet; his poem “Canção Amiga” (“Friendly Song”) was printed on the 50 cruzados note. Drummond was born in Itabira, a mining village in Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil. His parents were farmers of Portuguese ancestry [...]
Festa Nacional do Moranguinho In the Sothern Brazilian state Rio Grande do Sul, there is an annual strawberry party in which around 70 strawberry farms from the region show off the crème de la crème of the season. Of course, they don’t exactly do it out of the goodness of their hearts as they hope the tastiness [...]
Jorge Amado - Son of Bahia Jorge Amado de Faria (August 10, 1912 – August 6, 2001) was a Brazilian writer of the Modernist school. He was the best-known of modern Brazilian writers, his work having been translated into some 30 languages and popularized in film, notably Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos) in 1978. His work dealt largely with the poor [...]
Carandiru Massacre – All But Forgotten The Carandiru Massacre, considered a major human rights violation in the history of Brazil, happened on October 2, 1992 after a riot broke out in the 9th Pavilion of Carandiru Prison Complex in São Paulo. The riot went out of control, which led to the elite force of the Military Police being [...]
Água de Coco Coconut water is the liquid found inside young coconuts, not to be confused with coconut milk. Coconut water is found in the core of young, green coconuts. As the coconut matures this liquid largely becomes absorbed into the nut’s flesh. Coconut water has long been a popular drink in the tropics, where [...]
Tarsila do Amaral – Brazilian Painter One of the most amazing painters to come out of Brazil was certainly Tarsila do Amaral. Born to a wealthy coffee family from inland São Paulo, her high came not from caffeine, but from art. She was central to the Modernista movement of the 1920′s that swept the Brazilian [...]
