Part 4: Culture of Brazil
Activity 7: Carnival
Brazil is often referred to as a 'cultural melting pot' because it has an incredibly diverse population with people originating from lots of different countries and cultures.
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The biggest cultural celebration in Brazil is known as Carnival. Carnival (or Carnaval do Brasil) is a festival that occurs before Lent which is usually around February. Carnival in Brazil is not just a fun celebration, but a chance to experience the wonderful culture of this country. It sums up the Brazilian way of life and their way of thinking.
There are many parties, which take place throughout the day and during the night, which celebrate the songs, music and dances that are typical of Brazilian culture.There are plenty of large parades in the streets, extravagant costumes and masks, and singing and dancing.
It is one of the most well-known carnivals in the world and takes place over 3-4 days in cities all across Brazil. The biggest celebration occurs in the city of Rio De Janeiro. In fact, it is so big in this city that an avenue called the 'Sambódromo', was specially made to host Carnival in Rio. Every year, thousands of people go to this area to celebrate carnival including over 500,000 foreign visitors!
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Watch the video below to get a better understanding of Carnival, and help answer some of the questions in your booklet.
Activity 8: The Samba
Samba is a form of music and dance, which originated in Africa. It has its origins in the 19th century in the traditions of African slaves who brought their Batuques (drums) to Brazil, where African and Brazilian cultures merged. While Brazilians dance samba as part of their massive Carnival celebrations, samba isn’t only music.
During Carnival thousands of party-goers march through Rio’s Sambadrome avenue, dancing with their Samba Schools and playing percussion instruments.
Scroll through the images below to find out more about the instruments. Then, use this information to answer the questions in your booklet.
Activity 9
Listen to some of the Samba music and write down any adjectives that come to mind in your booklet.