PORTUGUESE-BRAZILIAN Paraty, on the Green Coast of Rio de Janeiro state Flickr / Diego Torres Silvestre DLIFLC DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER CULTURAL ORIENTATION | Portuguese-Brazil Profile Introduction ................................................................................................................ 6 Important Elements of Geography ........................................................................... 7 Area ........................................................................................................................7 Climate ..................................................................................................................7 Geographic Divisions .........................................................................................8 Guiana Highlands ................................................................................................8 Amazon Basin ......................................................................................................8 Brazilian Highlands ..............................................................................................9 Pantanal ................................................................................................................9 Coastal Lowlands ..............................................................................................10 Rivers ...................................................................................................................10 Major Cities ..................................................................................................................11 Brasília ..........................................................................................................................11 Manaus ................................................................................................................ 11 Rio de Janeiro .................................................................................................... 12 Salvador .............................................................................................................. 12 São Paulo............................................................................................................ 12 Important Elements of History ..................................................................................13 Pre-colonial History ...........................................................................................13 The Early Colonial Era ...................................................................................... 13 Colonial Expansion and Slavery ..................................................................... 14 Independence .....................................................................................................14 The Brazilian Monarchy .................................................................................... 15 The Brazilian Republic ......................................................................................15 The Vargas Era (1930–1954) ..........................................................................16 The Post-Vargas Republic (1954–1964) ........................................................16 Military Rule (1964–1985) ................................................................................ 17 Transition to Democracy ................................................................................... 17 Government .................................................................................................................18 Media ............................................................................................................................19 Important Elements of the Economy .......................................................................19 Manufacturing and Mining Industries .............................................................19 Employment ........................................................................................................20 Ethnic Groups/Languages ....................................................................................... 20 Racial Categories and Relations .....................................................................21 Languages ..........................................................................................................21 Endnotes for Chapter 1: Profile ............................................................................... 22 Assessment .................................................................................................................31 2 CULTURAL ORIENTATION | Portuguese-Brazil Religion Introduction .............................................................................................................. 32 Overview of Major Religions .................................................................................... 33 Roman Catholicism ...........................................................................................33 Catholicism in Brazil ..........................................................................................33 The Charismatic Renewal ...............................................................................34 Protestantism......................................................................................................34 Pentecostalism and Evangelism .....................................................................34 Syncretism .........................................................................................................35 Candomblé .........................................................................................................35 Umbanda and Macumba (Quimbanda) ..........................................................35 Other Spiritual Practices........................................................................................... 36 Shamanism (Pajelança) .....................................................................................36 Kardecism (Spiritism) ........................................................................................36 The Role of Religion and Government ...........................................................37 Influence of Religion on Daily Life .................................................................37 Religious Conventions and Gender Roles.....................................................38 Religious Events ...............................................................................................38 Religious Holidays ............................................................................................38 National Holidays ...............................................................................................39 Afro-Brazilian and Syncretic Festivals ...........................................................40 Places of Worship ..............................................................................................40 Behavior in Places of Worship ....................................................................... 41 Endnotes for Chapter 2: Religion ............................................................................ 42 Assessment ................................................................................................................ 46 Traditions Introduction ...............................................................................................................47 Traditional Gender Roles and Relations ........................................................48 Honor and Values ..............................................................................................48 Male/Female Interactions ................................................................................49 Homosexuality ....................................................................................................49 Formulaic Codes of Politeness (Greetings and Inviting) .............................49 Formal Greetings ............................................................................................... 51 Hospitality and Gift-Giving ...............................................................................52 Eating Habits / Types of Food ........................................................................52 Food and Drink ..................................................................................................54 Typical Brazilian Breakfast ..............................................................................54 Typical Brazilian Lunch Meal ...........................................................................55 Dress Codes .......................................................................................................55 3 CULTURAL ORIENTATION | Portuguese-Brazil Non-Religious Celebrations (Holidays) ..........................................................56 Dos and Don’ts ........................................................................................................... 57 Do .........................................................................................................................57 Don’t .....................................................................................................................57 Endnotes for Chapter 3: Traditions ......................................................................... 58 Urban Life Introduction .............................................................................................................. 64 Urbanization Issues