Page 20 - Abacoa Community News - November '21

Page 20, Abacoa
Brazil: Home Of Carnival And The 2016 Olympics

By Don Kiselewski, MCC,
D.S., Palm Beach Gardens
Travel Leaders
The first evidence of
human settlement in Brazil
can be traced back some
8,000 years. Two distinct
developments occurred
within the country, one in
the Amazon Basin and the
other to the south, along the
coast.
Europeans first reached Brazil in January of 1500, when
Spaniard Vicente Yáñez Pinzón landed. Several months later
in April, Portuguese explorer Pedro Cabral arrived in Brazil,
which he claimed for Portugal on May 3, 1500. These new Brazil’s world-renowned Christ the Redeemer statue sits atop Corcoyado Mountain, overlooking the scenic city of Rio de
territories were first called the Ilha de Vera Cruz (Island of Janeiro. Photo by Artyominc/Wikimedia, Creative Commons License
the True Cross) and allotted to Portugal by the Treaty of
Tordesillas in 1494. However, Spain did not recognize this Brazil is a true melting pot of cultures. It is one of the When most think of Brazil, they immediately conjure
claim until 1522. Brazil was divided into 13 fiefdoms in 1532, world’s most ethnically diverse countries – a fascinating up images of Carnival, the ultimate party. Carnival is the
each under a “captain.” They enhanced cooperation between mixture of European, African and Indian influences. The five-day pre-Lenten festival that engulfs the nation. It starts
the captains in 1548 when King John III of Portugal sent a country still maintains South America’s largest population at midnight on the Friday before Ash Wednesday. That same
governor to hold together these captaincies. of native people: about 180 tribes that speak 120 different night, the major of Rio hands over the keys to the city to the
The 16 century colonization began in the northeast, languages and dialects. The indigenous Indian culture is Rei Momo (King Momo, a grand marshall of sorts). This
th
where they imported slaves from Africa to labor in the cane evidenced in the country’s colorful handicrafts and regional provokes the rowdy street parties, with scantily clad dancers
fields. In 1554, the Jesuit missionaries in São Paula started dishes. Ethnic diversity has separated the peoples and that always excite the crowds. Sunday and Monday are the
the conversion of the Indians to Christianity. The French Brazilians are not a homogeneous people. The vibrant chords Carnival parades of the samba schools. During Carnival,
and Dutch attempted settlements, but revolts of Portuguese of the African culture are alive in the nation’s samba music shops are only open in the mornings, if at all.
settlers destroyed these communities. and highly spiced cuisine of Bahia. However, as one might
Stockbreeding and agriculture increased rapidly, over expect, not all Brazilians share these characteristics. Brazil on page 21
the next two centuries. Tobacco, rice, cotton, cocoa and
dye-producing plants had great influence on the economy “Service is our number one priority”
of the period. The discovery of gold slowed the growth of
agriculture in the interior. Large gold strikes occurred in 1694 561-743-0070
in Minas Gerais, and in 1718 there was another find in Mato
Grosso. The mining of diamonds began in 1699, which, like www.palmspoolservices.com
the gold finds, shifted labor away from agriculture. Today,
Brazil produces about 65 percent of the world’s gems.
Shoppers get excellent prices on stones and settings largely
because stones are not exported for cutting and crafting.
The arrival of the Portuguese Royal Family strengthened
nationalism in Rio de Janeiro in 1808, when Napoleonic
troops occupied Portugal. King John VI remained in Brazil
until 1821. In 1822, his son Dom Pedro became Pedro I, the
emperor of Brazil. Pedro II began his rule in 1840. During
his reign there were great economic expansions due to the
cultivation of coffee. He granted universal suffrage, abolished
slavery and secularized civil service, and in doing so became
so authoritarian that a military revolution overthrew him
and Brazil became a republic in 1889. The last century has
produced many changes in the direction of the government Expires 11/30/21.
and its leaders. In 1986, democracy was ushered in, when
José Sarney became the country’s leader. State Licensed & Insured
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Amazon Basin, which stretches from the Andes, home of
the continent’s highest peaks, east to the Atlantic Ocean.
Brazil is the largest country in South America; its area covers
3.2 million square miles. Bordering every country in South
America except Chile and Ecuador, Brazil contains nearly
half the continent’s land mass and 60 percent of the Amazon
rainforest.
Five distinct areas craft the profile of Brazil. They are
often described as the Amazonian North, Central Jewel
(Brasilia), Wealthy Southeast, Colonial Northeast and
the European South. The official language of Brazil is
Portuguese, but it is a variation of what’s spoken in Portugal.
One will also find that French, German and Italian are widely
spoken … English to a lesser degree. The estimated 2019
population in Brazil is about 210 million* with approximately
10 percent of the population living in Rio and São Paulo.**
Catholicism is Brazil’s largest religion, but they practice
many other faiths. Protestants, Jews, Evangelical Christians
and followers of spiritualist religions of Africa, such as
Macumba and Candomble, are also present in Brazil.

Maracanã Stadium prior to construction. Photo by Don
Kiselewski