Having been resettled by the Portuguese colonial power for over 3 centuries from 1500, Brazil’s culture and tradition is, to a certain extent, a fusion of Portuguese, Amerindians and Africans. The latter two were being brought into Brazil as slaves. As such, the culture and tradtion of Brazil today is a very vibrant one and the followings are selected to hightlight some of them.
Music
Brazil can be considered a musical country by judging from its rich origins. The Portuguese settlers brought in their singers and viola players; The Amerindian slaves brought in their reed flutes; The African slaves brought in their many thrilling rhythms.When people talk about music of Brazil, the word “samba” would just pop up easily. However, besides the driving beat of samba, Brazil is also home to the classical compositions of Heitor Villa-Lobos and the soft sounds of the bossa nova.
Dance
Aside from the ever-familiar samba dance, Brazil’s rich history is also home to other forms of dances. Brazilian folk dances involve elements that reflect the interaction between the three principal components of the nation’s culture – Portuguese, Amerindians and Africans. An example would be the Caboclinhos and Caiapós which is performed to dramatise the early wars between the Portuguese and the Indians.
Another form of Brazilian dance is the Capoeira (right), which is a ritualised and stylished combat dance with its own music. The interesting fact is that this form of dance was initially developed to add as a cover-up for fights between slaves in the early days.Mario de Andrade, one of Brazil’s greatest authorities on national folklore classified folk dramas into 4 groups: reisados, chegancas, pastoris and ranchos. For more information on each type of folk dramas, please visit the link provided below.
Sports
Brazil + Sports = FUTEBOL.
Undeniably, Brazil has always been strongly related to football after winning the coveted World Cup 5 times and being the only national team to have participated in all World Cup Finals. However, apart from foot ball, Brazil is also known for its volleyball and tennis. Formula One car racing today also features Brazilian like Felipe Massa who is driving for team Ferrari.
Food
Over the course of its rich history, every region in Brazil has developed cuisines that they called their own.
In Rio de Janeiro: feijoada
In Bahia: Vatapa
In the Amazon Region: pato no tucupi
In Rio Grande do Sul: churrasco
Do note that I have only listed some of the cultures & traditions of Brazil in my entry. For more information, please visit the following source:
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