Additional Resources on Culture
The Culture Trip (above link) provides articles about culture in Brazil including art, design, film, food, and more.
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The above link is a webpage that discusses Brazil's history and gives information about Brazil's culture in terms of politics, economics, social arrangements, and more.
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Quick Statistics
The following statistics are about Brazil's population, economy, transportation, and military. Some of the statistics are compared to the world.
Figure 3: Employment rate of ages 15-24 compared to the total completion rate of primary education.
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In Figure 1, we see that Brazil is one of the leading countries in terms of energy use. Since Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, this fact is understandable. As Brazil's population grows, the energy use per person can be expected to increase. Additionally (Figure 2), Brazil's young population makes a median amount of income compared to other countries. In Figure 3, we see that as primary education is completed, the amount of people ages 15-24 who are employed are relatively high. Note: All images were retrieved from Gapminder.org |
Religion in Brazil
Brazil is a religiously diverse country. The country’s most abundant religion, Roman Catholicism, originated when the Portuguese colonized the land in the 16th century. The Portuguese brought with them their religion and beliefs and forced them on the native peoples (“All About”, 2008). Brazil’s people held on to these beliefs and Catholicism continues being the most practiced religion of the country. However, Brazil has also opened its doors to other religions. For example, the afro-Brazilian religions Candomblé and Umbanda were brought to Brazil by African slaves and combined with Catholicism. Other denominations of the Christian religion are also popular in Brazil such as Protestantism. Non-Christian origin religions seldomly practiced in Brazil include Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Jehovah’s Witness, and Hinduism. (“Brazil Religion”, 2014).
Religion, especially Catholicism, has shaped parts of Brazil’s culture. For instance, many religious celebrations are held in different parts of the country. Some include the Cirio de Nazare in Belem and the pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lade of Aparecida. In the central part of the country, the Festo de Divino is celebrated for a week, fifty days after Easter. Social norms are also influenced by religion. Protestants have rules of conduct on personal behavior such as limitation on drinking, smoking, gambling, and appearance (“Understanding the”, 2014). Brazil has multiple sacred sites. Some of the most sacred sites include the Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim, Juaziero do Norte: Shrine of Padre Cicero, Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, and the Cristo Redentor Statue. The Church of Nosso Senhor do Bofim serves as a Catholic site of pilgrimage sought by people hoping for a miracle (Ribeiro, 2014). The Shrine of Padre Cicero is a place of worship to Padre Cícero for Catholics (Fortaleza, 2012). The Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida is also a Catholic shrine (Aparecida, n.d). The Cristo Redentor is a Catholic symbol which sits on the summit of Mount Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro (Murray, 2014). The statue overlooks the city. There is some connection between religion and government in Brazil. Catholicism was the official state religion of Brazil until the Republican Constitution of 1891 established the secular State (“Relation Between”, 2014). Religion is a separate field from government, yet there is some religious influence in politics. “In a country like Brazil, where 92% of its population says that they are religious, it is difficult to dissociate religion from political debate” (“Relation Between”, 2014). Although religion is not supposed to appear in politics, many politicians partake in a religion and their decisions can be influenced by religion. Additionally, Brazil’s government does not restrict any religions. According to a recent Pew Research study, Brazil ranks lowest of the most populous country in terms of having low government restrictions on religion (2011). It is great to see a country shift from having an official state religion to being the country with the lowest government restrictions on religions. It is apparent that religious tolerance is increasing slowly and countries like Brazil have become more open to other beliefs. This acceptance leads to more diverse countries and less chaos. |
This map shows major religions around the world. Brazil's major religion is Roman Catholic with 64.6% of the population following the religion. Roman Catholicism is a branch of Christianity.
Most Religious Places in the World. (2014). [Map]. Retrieved from http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/culture-lifestyle/world-religion/140715/map-most-religious-places
This image shows a washing ceremony that is a Candoble tradition. Candoble is an Afro-Brazilian religion.
Image URL:http://www.theglobeandmail.com/multimedia/camera-club/in-photos/best-pictures-from-november-20/article5513266/
Cristo Redentor is a Catholic symbol in Brazil. The statue looks over the city of Rio de Janeiro.
Image URL: http://www.nevworldwonders.com/2013/11/preview-cristo-redentor.html
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Food in Brazil
The diversity of Brazil also creates diversity in its cuisine. Each region has different foods that are unique to them, therefore, it is difficult to chose one dish as Brazil's main dish. Brazilian cuisine was (and continues to be) largely influenced by the Portuguese. The Portuguese brought with them "sugar, citrus fruits, and many sweets that are still used for desserts and holidays" (Food in Brazil, 2014). As time progressed and more and more people began migrating to Brazil from other parts of the world, they brought with them their tastes and flavors in food. Today, Brazilian dishes typically include rice and beans. This is commonly seen throughout the country. The main course tends to include some kind of meat or seafood.
One of Brazil's popular dishes is Pepper-scented rice. This dish holds religious meaning to the people of Brazil. It is one of the dishes they eat during Carnival. Carnival is a Brazilian tradition that is celebrated by Catholics (and others) in the country. Carnival is held a week before Ash Wednesday and lasts that whole week. During the celebration, parades are held on the streets, people of all ages wear costumes, the dance and celebrate. When the celebration ends, it marks Lent, the forty day religious celebration before Easter. During Lents, Catholics are not allowed to eat meat. |
Procedure
Source: http://www.foodbycountry.com/Algeria-to France/Brazil.html#ixzz3JNSgBkuU |