This South American country doesn't have anything Latin about it. It is one of the few countries in South America that speaks a different language (Portuguese) which surprisingly is not the same Portuguese as the one spoken in Portugal. Even though they are descendants, their words are quite different. My friend Vinicius, from Brazil was explaining to me that he can hardly understand what people in Portugal say. Luckily for me, I understand Brazilian Portuguese if it is spoken slowly, as it's very similar to Spanish.
Brazil is the largest country in South America, occupying 47 percent of the area in Latin America and ranking at No. 5 among the world's most populated countries, according to the Brazilian Government Web site. This is because in 1494, the kings of Spain and Portugal decided to divide the new conquered land. The pope, who at the time was Spanish, made several vertical lines in the map, giving Portugal the smallest part, not knowing that later on Brazil was going to win much of its land in wars. Even though Brazil has so many large cities, like Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Mato Grosso, Bahia, Pará and well-known Amazonas, there are still remote areas that few people have explored.
Brazil is a large country with many attractions. The most popular is the Amazon rain forest, which is the largest remaining tropical rain forest in the world, possessing 20 percent of the entire world's biodiversity. Brazil also has a 130 foot statue of Christ at the top of the mountain Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro. This statue weighs 700 tons and in 2007 it was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
Among the people's many talents, dancing to the sound of Samba is one of them. Imagine a naturally tanned man, with a nice figure or muscular build and Portuguese accent asking you to dance, would you turn him down? Samba is Brazil's well-known musical style that started in Rio de Janeiro.
This kind of dance is very sensual. Want to try? First of all you need to find a partner you are comfortable having very close to you. This dance is very fast, and needs lots of coordination as it has many twirls and hip movements. These movements go with the beat of the song, either slow or so fast you feel you stomach burning. Did I get you interested? Well, remember the movie "Dirty Dancing?"
Brazilians have this song called "Lambada," which came from the song called "Llorando se Fue," from the Kjarkas, a Bolivian folklore band. The song was slow and Kaoma, a Brazilian band, took the lyrics and spiced it up so much it became "the forbidden dance." Feel free to YouTube "Lambada" and watch the first link. You will understand why it was so controversial when it was released in 1989. You might pick up some good steps as well!
Soccer is what Brazil breathes for. Having won five World Cup titles, Brazil is known for its great players. Edison Arantes do Nascimento, a.k.a. Pele, is considered to be the world's best soccer player and was awarded Athlete of the Century in 1999 by the world's national Olympic Commitee. Other well known players are Ronaldinho and Ronaldo. Soccer is a big part of this country, and T-shirt-less boys are a plus you don't want to miss.
Brazilians love to eat, in fact its main dish, called Feijoada is served daily in every restaurant. This dish, cooked with black beans, smoked ham hocks and sausage is served with slices of sweet oranges and Farofa cassava flour. Cassava is like an albino sweet potato, which is also known as Yuca or Manioc.
In the four days before lent, Brazil celebrates Carnival, which is a combination of a religious holiday and African-style celebrations. From the moment the celebration ends, people start preparing for the next year. There are Samba competitions, enormous colorful floats and elaborate, beautiful costumes covering strategic body parts. This celebration is held in a dome only used for this occasion, where people can enjoy live music and dances.
Brazil is a lively country 24/7 and no matter when you come to this beautiful tropical country, you are going to be received with a great hug and a kiss, on the cheek.
No comments:
Post a Comment