Essay Sample on Brazil Culture
In Brazil celebrations are a big part of the culture, from the foods to the dancing everything is bright and loud. This is especially true during certain times of the year when there are festivals and carnivals, Brazilians will celebrate anything from Jesus and God to liquor. These carnivals are so important that there are even competitions between dance groups in order to retell famous stories. This is shown on the website the culture trip where it says, “The official carnival has large parades of samba with flamboyant costumes and break-neck speed dancing with the major cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Recife having the biggest parades and parties.” Not only are carnivals a big part of Brazilian culture, but sports as well, the two most popular sports would be Soccer and Capoeira. Soccer in Brazil is socially similar to basketball or football in the US, meaning it’s a career that children in poverty look to in order to escape their harsh realities. This means that Brazilians are extremely invested in the sport not only as a source of entertainment but a means of escape. This is shown in the article more than the game where it says, “Did you know that over 16,000 Brazilians play professionally around the world and over 776 professional football clubs exist in Brazil? The passion for this sport can be seen not only throughout the entire country but worldwide as well.” Due to soccer playing such a huge part in the average Brazilian life, people in Brazil have started to create new ways to play the game. Unknown to most soccer is not like other sports, this is because Soccer is more of an art form that can be played many different ways in order to reach the same goal and creativity is what strives the most in this area. The way a player plays the game is extremely unique to themselves, for example they can play more aggressively or more defensively, they can play with a style that keeps the ball in the air most of the time or on the ground. Soccer allows room for expression and so Brazilians usually take that to an extreme more notable players like Pelé. Finally, the most original section of Brazilian culture, Capoeira, is a martial art disguised as a dance and the backstory is even more interesting than it already seems. This form of martial arts was created by African-American slaves, this is because martial arts was banned for slaves in fear that they would revolt and so they created cup with them. Capoeira allowed the slaves to escape and find their freedom, so this martial arts became a extraordinarily huge part of Brazilian culture, So much so that some even joke that it’s encoded in their own DNA. This is shown in the Smithsonian magazine website where it says, “Capoeira developed in Brazil, derived from traditions brought across the Atlantic Ocean by enslaved Africans and fueled by the burning desire for freedom. It soon became widely practiced on the plantations as a means of breaking the bonds of slavery, both physically and mentally.” To some of these things might seem silly or extreme, but it’s Brazilians it’s just a part of history it’s what shaped the culture today. From a way to escape reality through some parties throughout the year to a way to escape the impoverished society through Soccer, or even two embrace the past through Capoeira these things are important not just for those who enjoy history but to those who truly embrace their Brazilian heritage.
Even though Brazilians love to party it doesn’t mean that everything is going great, is it because even though Brazilians tend to look on the bright side it takes the attention away from the more important aspects of a country. For example inflation, when it is the deadliest but most used form of controlling the economy. Inflation has been climbing throughout the years in Brazil, to those taking a more general look it seems like the house prices are appreciating very well. But those who take a closer look under the magnifying glass can see that it’s just an illusion. This can be shown in the global property guide website where it says, “In July 2021, Brazil’s FIPEZAP house price index rose by 5.13% from a year earlier, its biggest y-o-y nominal increase since April 2015. However when adjusted for inflation, nationwide house prices were actually down by 3.57%.” With the help of the recent virus the situation in Brazil has not become better, death and despair caused desperation in Brazil. This can be shown in the same website where it says, “Brazil has seen the second-highest coronavirus death toll in the world, with about 587,000 fatalities in mid-September 2021.” But through all of this Brazil is still making a comeback, through all the inflation and death Brazil is not ready to give up. This can also be shown in the same paragraph where it says, “ But economic activity is now recovering strongly, with real GDP rising by 12.4% y-o-y in Q2 2021, the most on record, after the government began lifting some restrictions on non-essential businesses.” Right now, times are tough but Brazil is not the type of country to give up on itself or its people. So as long as there is a possibility Brazilians will fight to reach stability from within.
In Brazil there are four things that make you culturally relatable to everyone else, the food you eat, which soccer team is your favorite, how you like to party, and what you believe in. In Brazil the people are mostly Roman Catholic, but that is not to say that there aren’t other religions in it. This can be shown in the cultural Atlas website where it says, “Brazil’s religious landscape is as diverse as it’s ethnic and geographic diversity. Accordingly, the majority of Brazilians in the country identify as Roman Catholic (64.4%), thus reflecting it’s historical relationship with Portugal and the Catholic Church. Of the remaining population, 22.2% identify with a Protestant tradition, including Seventh Day Adventist (6.5%), Assembly of God (2.0%), Christian Congregation of Brazil (1.2%), Universal Kingdom of God (1.0%) and other forms of Protestantism (11.5%).” As a matter of fact religion is such a big part of Brazilian culture that there are national celebrations for religious related events. One of the best examples that could be given is the Festa Junina, this festival is to celebrate Saint John the Baptist and lasts about a month. Another good example would be the statue of Christ in one of the most well-known Brazilian states, Rio de Janeiro. The statue which was named Christ the redeemer stands on a mountain overlooking the states and the beautiful ocean on it. This can be shown in the Britannica website where it says, “Christ the Redeemer, Portuguese Cristo Redentor, colossal statue of Jesus Christ at the summit of Mount Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. Celebrated in traditional and popular songs, Corcovado towers over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s principal port city. The statue of Christ the Redeemer was completed in 1931 and stands 98 feet (30 metres) tall, its horizontally outstretched arms spanning 92 feet (28 metres). The statue has become emblematic of both the city of Rio de Janeiro and the whole nation of Brazil.” Also another extremely important aspect to Brazilian life is music, it’s seen in everything, and like American music has many genres. The most notable genre is one from a more older time called Forró, this genre music would most likely be listened by anywhere from the elderly to your parents. Although being from an older time, Forró is a very big genre of music in Brazil using all sorts of instruments to create a perfect harmony. This can be shown in the culture trip website where it says, “Forró is the music from the Northeast of Brazil and is associated with the Festa Junina parties that take place across Brazil in June. Before forró had become popular outside of the Northeast, the lyrics were mostly about the hardships people faced there such as migration and drought yet its nationwide popularity came about when the songs took a turn and talked about women and love.” Another genre of music that is more recent to this generation it’s called Funk. This style of music is similar to rap and it’s depiction of life, just without the intense rhyming and flow. This can be shown in the same article where it says, “Originating from Rio de Janeiro, Carioca funk grew from the baile funk parties in the city’s favelas with lyrics evoking strong imagery of sex, drugs, and machismo, especially styles such as proibidão (very prohibited) where songs are associated to criminal gangs.” When it comes to being loud and vibrant, no country comes close to Brazil’s culture. From the almost traditional colors of red, yellow, blue and green, to it’s loud and expressive music. Brazil is not afraid to show its creativity and carefree attitude, and that’s what makes Brazil such an amazing place to be in.
