Brazilian New Year: A Time for Celebration

After reading more about Brazilian holiday traditions I discovered that New Year (Ano Nove or Revillion) is considered to be one of the biggest celebrations of the year!
The following was taken from:  http://www.newyearfestival.com/new-year-in-brazil.html

New Year In Brazil


Brazilian New Year is one of the most traditionally celebrated festival for the people living there. New Year in Brazil is known as Ano Nove (Portuguese) but is more popularly known as Revillion. It is celebrated on January 1 as per the Gregorian Calendar.

New Year is the time when people from various parts of the world like to celebrate it in Brazil. Pubs, party halls, clubs, beaches and even roads are thronged with people.

New Year's Traditions
New Year's celebrations in Brazil reflects it's culture and tradition. On the New Year's day, it's a tradition to consume lentils and rice. It is believed to bring in prosperity and good fortune in the coming year.

De Iemanjá Festival
People dressed in white offer flowers and gifts to the Iemanjá, the Goddess of the Water in the Brazilian Umbanda religion. The colorful floating candles gives a splendid view at the time of New Year.

This festival is celebrated with much devotion and sincerity by the fishermen of the city. They believe the catch at the time reflects the catch for rest of the year.

New Year's Celebrations in Brazil

Véspera de Ano Novo or the New Year's Eve is the most important day for the people of Brazil. The best New Year celebrations can be seen in the most important city of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. New Year celebrations are marked with numerous fireworks and crackers. Musical shows, concerts and other dance performances are the highlights of New Year celebrations in Brazil. The world famous Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro is overcrowded with people on the New Year's Eve.

Another feature of New Year's celebrations is the Brazilian Carnival. People dress up in gaudy clothes and walk down streets singing and dancing on beats of various traditional songs. The famous samba get people on their feet every year.

Any party is not complete without perfect music. New Year's Eve celebrations include numerous local Brazilian artists like samba, frevo, pagode, Axe and forro.

Last but not least, dinner is the best part of Brazilian New Year's Celebrations. It includes farofa (tapioca grains flavored with spices), salads, rice, chicken and marajucá mousse (fruit) which is relished by people present in Brazil to have the taste of it's culture

Tis the Season! Climate, Currency and Christmas! (Part 3 of 3)

Brazil - Christmas traditions & customs
As a former Portuguese colony, Brazilians have many Christmas customs which originate from this heritage.

One tradition is to create a nativity scene or Presépio. The Presépio is common in northeastern Brazil (Bahia, Sergipe, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Maranhão, Ceará, Pernambuco, Piauí and Alagoas). The Presépio was introduced in the 17th century, in the city of Olinda in the state of Pernambuco by a Franciscan friar named Gaspar de Santo Agostinho. Nowadays presépios are set up in December and displayed in churches, homes, and stores.

Papai Noel (Father Noel) is the gift-bringer in Brazil. According to legend, he lives in Greenland. The idea of this Santa-type character was imported from North America in the 50's. It only becomes popular due to the commercial appeal in the late 60's and 70's. There is no explanation or longer tradition about him. When Papai Noel arrives in Brazil, he usually wears silk clothing due to the summer heat.

There is a very common tradition among friends and families, called amigo secreto (secret friend). At the beginning of December, participants in the game write their name on a piece of paper. Each participant takes a paper (but does not reveal the name of the person on it). During the month there are exchanges of correspondence among the participants who use apelidos (fake names). On Christmas, family and friends gather to reveal their secret friends and offer them a special gift.

At the end of 19th and beginning of 20th century many immigrants came from Europe and other parts of the world. They brought their traditions and adapted them to Brazilian conditions. So, the food they eat (especially in the South) during Christmas came from Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain and other countries. A huge Christmas dinner, unusual in the hot summertime, includes turkey, ham, colored rice, and wonderful fresh vegetable and fruit dishes.

In the old days, devout Catholics would attend Midnight Mass or Missa do Galo. (A galo is a rooster.) The Mass has this name because the rooster announces the coming day and the Missa do Galo finishes at 1 AM on Christmas morning! This tradition has faded away in most places, many families prefer to gather for a special supper (ceia) at midnight. Many prefer the late afternoon Christmas Mass so that they can enjoy sleeping in after the midnight meal or going to the beach on Christmas morning.

Decorations include fresh flowers picked from the garden. Huge Christmas "trees" of electric lights can be seen against the night skies in major cities such as Brasilia, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro throughout the season. Fireworks displays go off to welcome the New Year.

Like Brazil's other Christmas traditions, the music associated with Christmas is mostly imported. "Noite Feliz" ("Silent Night") is probably the song most associated with Christmas in Brazil. There are some Brazilian Christmas songs (pastorils and others), but they are not very well known. 

(The following excerpt was taken from: http://www.thehistoryofchristmas.com/traditions/brazil.htm)

Tis the Season! Climate, Currency and Christmas! (Part 2 of 3)

Brazilian real
The real is the present-day currency of Brazil and was also the currency during the period 1690 to 1942. The currently used plural form is reais, with the symbol R$ and ISO 4217 code BRL. The modern real is subdivided into 100 centavos.

The breakdown is almost identical to the USD breakdown.

Coins :5, 10, 25, 50 centavos, R$1

Banknotes :R$2, R$5, R$10, R$20, R$50

The exchange rate as of December 23, 2009 is approximately USD 1.00 to BRL 1.80.
Keep up on the conversion rate!

Tis the Season! Climate, Currency and Christmas! (Part 1 of 3)

São Paulo's Climate
The mild nature of the São Paulo climate means that packing travelers need not agonize over temperature extremes or unfortunate natural disasters. Almost every day is a beach day! More specifically, São Paulo has a humid subtropical climate.

Geologically, the Tropic of Capricorn passes over top the city, causing the average annual temperatures along the coastline to be about 68 °F. Summer months in São Paulo run between September and March, and winter falls between April and August. The average temperature in winter is around 61°F. Winter nights are known to dip as low as 54°F in July but it is quite rare to ever have weather colder than this. In fact, 1918 was the last time there was recorded snow in São Paulo!

Rainfall is especially common in the warmer months, and somewhat scant between June and August. Rain seems to come in concentrated bursts over a few days, instead of being spread out across a few months, and more often than not the city streets will flood due to overflow – the city receives about 53 inches of rainfall per year. The best bet on a rainy day is to stay inside, avoid the inevitable traffic congestion, and let the São Paulo climate work itself out!

São Paulo enjoys a distinctly temperate climate because of it’s elevation. It is quite rare for a summer day to hit above 86°F, which has actually done wonders for the São Paulo economy. The frequency of days where the temperature is mild, makes the city a pleasant place to visit for tourists year round!  Our Rotarty District 7570 GSE team will be visiting São Paulo when the average high is 73 °F and the average low is 59 °F. The precipitation average is around 1.6 inches. Perfeito!

Sao Paulo Almanac and Forecast

Political Structure of Brazil

We need to know what we are getting ourselves into, so we're going to do a little investigation into the politics and governmental structure of Brazil. As the worlds 10th largest economy by GDP and the worlds 9th largest ecomony by purchasing power, Brazil plays a major role in the world scene.
Now I know most people are really not going to be concerned with the ins and outs of the political structure, so I will just highlight the important things and provide links to more in depth information.

'The Brazilian Federation is based on the union of three autonomous political entities: the States, the Municipalities and the Federal District. A fourth entity originated in the aforementioned association: the Union. There is no hierarchy among the political entities. The Federation is set on six fundamental principles: sovereignty, citizenship, dignity of the people, social value of labor, freedom of enterprise, and political pluralism. The classic tripartite branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial under the checks and balances system), is formally established by the Constitution. The executive and legislative are organized independently in all four political entities, while the judiciary is organized only in the federal and state levels.
All members of the executive and legislative branches are directly elected. Judges and other judicial officials are appointed after passing entry exams. Voting is compulsory for those between 18 and 65 years old. Four political parties stand out among several small ones: Workers' Party (PT), Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), and Democrats (formerly Liberal Front Party – PFL). Almost all governmental and administrative functions are exercised by authorities and agencies affiliated to the Executive.
The form of government is that of a democratic republic, with a presidential system. The president is both head of state and head of government of the Union and is elected for a four-year term, with the possibility of re-election for a second successive term. The current president is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He was elected on October 27, 2002, and re-elected on October 29, 2006. The President appoints the Ministers of State, who assist in governing. Legislative houses in each political entity are the main source of laws in Brazil. The National Congress is the Federation's bicameral legislature, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate. Judiciary authorities exercise jurisdictional duties almost exclusively.' (wikipedia)

1.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luiz_In%C3%A1cio_Lula_da_Silva

2. http://www.photius.com/countries/brazil/government/brazil_government_politics.html
Basically, unless you are planning on going to Brazil for an extended period of time (like us), you may only need some info about the laws. I've looked at it all, and it pretty much comes down to this. If you aren't sure, you can probably  bet it's going to be illegal.

Tchau,
Team Brazil

Proper Business Etiquette in Brazil

When visiting another country it is important to learn what is acceptable and what may be considered offensive. Below are step by step instructions found on EHow.com

Step 1     Though your business will likely be done in English, learn some Portuguese phrases. Your Brazilian associates will appreciate your making the effort. By all means, don't forget that the national language in Brazil is Portuguese, not Spanish.


Step 2     Dress conservatively and professionally in muted colors for men and women. Light colors are acceptable for summer (December to February). Clean, well-manicured nails are important for women.

Step 3     Be on time, but do not be surprised if your Brazilian hosts take a more relaxed approach to schedules. In the big cities of Rio and Sao Paulo, you may find that being punctual holds more importance than in other regions.

Step 4     Begin the meeting in a leisurely manner, taking some time to make small talk with your Brazilian associates. Jumping right into the meeting is seen as rude, and like other South Americans, Brazilians find it important to know the individuals with whom they are doing business. Building personal relationships is important. In fact, you will probably find that it takes several trips to the country to really get your business going there.

Step 5     Use attractive visuals in your presentation, and make sure you have any materials you intend to distribute translated into Portuguese and English. Be tolerant of interruptions, which often simply show that there is interest in the discussion, and keep your manner nonconfrontational at all times.

Step 6     Be prepared to wait for final decisions. As noted earlier, it may take a while to build the business relationship. Also, in this hierarchical business structure, final word must ultimately come from the highest-ranking executive.

Another good resource for practicing business etiquette in Brazil: http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/brazil.htm

Our team is working hard at learning the language and preparing our presentations, we are confident that we will make a positive and lasting impression on the Brazilians that we have the pleasure of coming in contact with!

Safety in Brazil

A lot of people have asked me if I am afraid of going to South America because the crime is so bad. I’ve reassured everyone that we are traveling with a group of level headed adults and will be in the company of Rotarians the entire time we will be abroad; therefore we will be in good hands! I’ve done a little research on the safety and crime in the Sao Paulo area and it doesn’t seem to differ much from a larger city here in the U.S.


Some of the information I found has been alarming, most of this coming from government agencies like the OSAC (Overseas Security Advisory Council). When reading forums posted by locals however, its seems to be that the locals are at a greater risk of being exposed to crime then a visitor would be. Below is some information I pulled off of the OSAC website.

The criminal threat for São Paulo is rated critical by the U.S. Department of State. Despite reported decreases in crime levels in the State of São Paulo, crime is still oppressive and widespread. Much of São Paulo’s crimes and violence can be attributed to mobile street gangs and organized crime groups. São Paulo continues to be notorious for the brazenness of certain high profile crimes and violent crimes such as murder, rape, and kidnappings. Armed assaults and burglaries continue to be a part of normal everyday life. Every São Paulo neighborhood is susceptible to high crime rates. Reports of armed robberies continue to occur regularly in the generally affluent residential sections of Jardins Morumbi and Santo Amaro, where a number of government and business leaders and a majority of the U.S. Consulate employees reside.