Brazil was a colony of Portugal for over three centuries.

About a million Portuguese settlers arrived

during this period [19] and brought their culture to the colony. The Indigenous inhabitants of Brazil had
much contact with the colonists. Many became extinct, others mixed with the Portuguese. For that
reason, Brazil also holds Amerindian influences in its culture, mainly in its food and language. Brazilian
Portuguese has hundreds of words of Indigenous American origin, mainly from the Old Tupi language.
[20]

Black Africans, who were brought as slaves to Brazil, also participated actively in the formation of
Brazilian culture. Although the Portuguese colonists forced their slaves to convert to Catholicism and
speak Portuguese their cultural influences were absorbed by the inhabitants of Brazil of all races and
origins. Some regions of Brazil, especially Bahia, have particularly notable African inheritances in music,
cuisine, dance and language.[21]

Immigrants from Italy, Germany, Spain, Japan, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Austria-Hungary and the Middle
East played an important role in the areas they settled (mostly Southern and Southeastern Brazil). They
organized communities that became important cities such as Joinville, Caxias do Sul, Blumenau, Curitiba
and brought important contributions to the culture of Brazil.[22][23]

CarnivalEdit

The world-famous Rio Carnival.

Main article: Brazilian Carnival

The Brazilian Carnaval is an annual festival held forty-six days before Easter. Carnival celebrations are
believed to have roots in the pagan festival of Saturnalia, which, adapted to Christianity, became a
farewell to bad things in a season of religious discipline to practice repentance and prepare for Christ's
death and resurrection.

Carnaval is the most famous holiday in Brazil and has become an event of huge proportions. For almost a
week festivities are intense, day and night, mainly in coastal cities.[24]
The typical genres of music of Brazilian carnival are: samba-enredo and marchinha (in Rio de Janeiro and
Southeast Region), frevo, maracatu and Axé music (in Pernambuco, Bahia and Northeast Region)

The Brazilian people have several ethnic groups. First row: White (Portuguese, German, Italian, Arab,
and Japanese respectively). Second row: African, pardo (cafuzo, mulato and caboclo, respectively) and
Indigenous (Amerindian) Brazilians.

Culture

Television Edit

Main article: Television in Brazil

Television has played a large role in the formation of the contemporary Brazilian popular culture. It was
introduced in 1950 by Assis Chateaubriand and remains the country's most important element of mass
media.

Telenovelas are a marking feature in Brazilian television, usually being broadcast in prime time on most
major television networks. Telenovelas are similar in concept to soap operas in English-speaking
countries but differ from them in duration, telenovelas being significantly shorter (usually about 100 to
200 episodes). They are widely watched throughout the country, to the point that they have been
described as a significant element in national identity and unity, and have been exported to over 120
countries.[108]

FolkloreEdit

Brazilian folklore includes many stories, legends, dances, superstitions and religious rituals. Characters
include the Boitatá, the Boto Cor-de-Rosa, the Saci and the Bumba Meu Boi, which has spawned the
famous June festival in Northern and Northeastern Brazil.[109]

Religion

The Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida is the second largest in the world, after only
of the Basilica of Saint Peter in Vatican City.[15]
About 2/3 of the population are Roman Catholics. Catholicism was introduced and spread largely by the
Portuguese Jesuits, who arrived in 1549 during the colonization with the mission of converting the
Indigenous people. The Society of Jesus played a large role in the formation of Brazilian religious identity
until their expulsion of the country by the Marquis of Pombal in the 18th century.[16]

In recent decades Brazilian society has witnessed a rise in Protestantism. Between 1940 and 2010, the
percentage of Roman Catholics fell from 95% to 64.6%, while the various Protestant denominations rose
from 2.6% to 22.2%.[17]