Carnival
The Brazilian culture is one of the most diversified cultures in the world. This is due partially to the fact that Brazil encompasses such a monstrous area of land. The cities found in the various regions of Brazil are diverse in their climate and geographic conditions, and also in their cultures. Another contributing factor to the diversity of Brazil’s culture is the influence of many different cultures upon the country through out its history.
In the colonial period of Brazil’s history, there was a great deal of both ethnic and cultural mixing between Native Americans, Portuguese, and Africans, and this mixing formed the bulk of the Brazilian culture. Italian, German, Spanish, Arab, and Japanese immigrants that had settled in Brazil also played an important role in Brazil’s culture, particularly in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The result is a truly multicultural and multiethnic society.
As a country, Brazil’s history began when it was a colony of Portugal for over three centuries. During this period, a huge number of settlers arrived from Portugal and settled in the region. The number of Portuguese settlers in Brazil totaled nearly one million, and they brought their culture to the new territory. Through out the period of colonization, the native inhabitants of Brazil had a great deal of contact with the Portuguese colonists. While many of the native inhabitants were exterminated either intentionally or unintentionally, but some of the other natives mixed with the Portuguese settlers, so Brazil’s culture is a mix of Amerindian and European influences. These influences are very visible, primarily in Brazil’s food and language. For example, Brazilian Portuguese includes hundreds of words that have a Native American origin.
In the period of the slave trade in Brazil, many black Africans were brought as slaves to Brazil, and they also actively participated in the formation of Brazilian culture. Portuguese colonists generally forced their slaves to become “more civilized” by learning to speak Portuguese and converting to Catholicism. However, the African cultural influences were still absorbed by other inhabitants of Brazil, regardless of race or origin. There are some regions of Brazil that have obvious African influence on their music, language, and food. One example is the region of Bahia.
Later, immigrants form Italy, Germany, Japan, Spain, and the Middle-Easy donated many important cultural attributes to the areas that they settled. Most of their influence is visible in Southern and Southeastern Brazil. The communities that these different nationalities organized became important cities, examples of which are Joinville and Caxias do Sul. They brought many important contributions to the culture of Brazil, contributions that can be seen in the language, food, art, music, dress, and lifestyle of various regions.
Brazil is one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world. Closer examinations of the food, language, dress, art, music, sports, recreational practices, and general lifestyles of many different regions reveal the influences of many of the world’s cultures. The diverse geographical situations across the country also contribute to the diversity of the culture.