"Dia dos Namorados" and other Brazil Local Custom Tips

The Brazilians celebrate "Dia dos Namorados" (Brazil's equivalent of Valentine's Day) on the 12th of June. If you have a Brazilian boyfriend or girlfriend, don't forget it!

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Brazilians are mostly very warm and friendly. Shake hands every time you meet or take leave of a Brazilian (even if you have met the person previously the same day). If you are male, remember that Brazil is a latin country: expect Brazilian men to stand (uncomfortably) close to you, to hold your hand or arm for extended periods, and to put their arms around your shoulders and hug you. These are normal and socially acceptable signs of friendship. Shake hands with Brazilian women on a first meeting, and expect to be kissed (on the cheek) on subsequent encounters (though this is less likely outside of the major cities and in the North of the country). If you are female, both Brazilian men and women will shake hands with you on a first encounter but may kiss you on subsequent meetings and leave-takings (again, especially in the major cities).

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Smoking is acceptable in Brazil unless indicated otherwise. Restaurants will normally have sections for those who smoke and those who do not.

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In better Brazilian restaurants, a 10% service charge is included in the bill, but feel free to leave more. Tip a cabdriver no more than 10%. In a hotel, tip the bellboy, the porter or the concierge about R$1 per luggage item or for help given.

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A 7.5% sales tax is included in the price of most products and services. A 10% hotel occupancy tax and a 5% service tax are included in hotel prices. There is no value-added tax.

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Portuguese is Brazil's official language. Although English is the most popular second language studied. Brazil's economy is increasingly open to foreign trade, especially from the U.S., and this means a growing number of the country's business people are becoming bilingual. Most major tourist hotels and restaurants in big cities have some bilingual staff, as do exchange houses and banks. Unless you request cabdrivers with knowledge of English, don't expect them to know even the basics...

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Whoever has traveled to Brazil during the month of June, has already found out that Brazilians celebrate the month with parties that can be even bigger than Carnaval in some cities. Those parties are called Festas Juninas and they celebrate saints Anthony, John and Peter with lots of traditional foods, drinks and a theatrical dance inherited from the French called quadrilha (a type of square dance).
However, the origin of this party is much older than Brazil itself. It began in Europe. The month of June being the beginning of the summer, bring crops that the population celebrated with parties and ceremonies. All over Europe, people used to make bonfires on hilltops and plains to dance around and jump over. Part of the ceremonies also was to offer the fire some of the crop and even live animals to bring luck for the next crop season.
Nowadays, Brazilians do not thank for the crops because in South America this is not the crop season. As for the celebrations they extend throughout the month, commemorating Saint Anthony on June 13, Saint John on June 24, and Saint Peter on June 29.
The Portuguese brought the Festa Junina from Europe to Brazil. Like in Brazil, Portugal celebrates June every year, with the difference that in Portugal people give more attention to Saint Anthony than to Saint John. In the big melting pot that Brazil is, Festa Junina was also well accepted by the native habitants and many more beliefs, traditions and costumes joined the party.
When the French missions came to Brazil they brought the quadrilha, which is a theatrical dance that tells the story of a marriage in a small town. And the quadrilha became the official dance of a Festa Junina. Another aspect of Festas Juninas that blended with local culture was the food.The food that goes along is different in each region of the country. Tasting the variety of Festa Junina's food we can experience even far away from Brazil a little flavor and feeling for this most traditional Brazilian celebration.

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Feast: October 12. On a certain day in 1716 three fishermen were at work on the Paraiba River. There were no fish in the nets they lifted from the water. Instead there was an artistic terracotta image of Our Lady of the Conception, which they dubbed "Nossa Senhora Aparecida". The chronicles relate that once the Virgin was placed in the boat, the catch was so great that the frightened men returned to port because, the weight of the fish threatened to sink their craft. It is not known how the small (less than three feet high) statue came to rest at the bottom of the river, but its artist is known, Frei Agostino de Jesus, a "carioca'' monk from Sao Paulo who created artistic clay sculptures. The image was made around 1650 and must have stayed submerged in the river for many years because it lost its original polychromy. The image is now a brilliant dark brown color, and is covered by a stiff mantle of richly embroidered thick cloth, allowing only her face and hands to be seen. She wears on her head the imperial crown with precious stones with which she was crowned in 1904. In 1930 Pope Pius XII proclaimed her principal patroness of Brazil. Her feast on October 12 is a national holiday. Pope John Paul II visited the Virgin "Aparecida" in her much frequented sanctuary and gave it the title of Basilica. A few days before the visit someone got hold of the statue and threw it forcibly on the floor. Although the frail image was broken into many pieces, the loving and careful work of several artists put it together again and the Virgin, "Aparecida" returned to her niche in the Basilica.

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On clothing, some Brazilian businesspeople will dress fairly casually at their office but they generally expect visitors to wear appropriate business attire. When deciding what to wear remember that in the north-east States, suits are rarely worn because of the heat. In the South, however, lightweight suits made of natural fibres are fine for most of the year. A dark lightweight suit will be useful for more formal evening appointments. Dinner jackets are rarely needed. Few restaurants require a jacket and tie to be worn. Women wear light cotton dresses in summer. During the winter, light woollen clothing is suitable for Southern Brazil but British summer clothing is more appropriate for Rio de Janeiro and the north-east. Brazilian women are very fashion conscious. Sunglasses are recommended for everyone.

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In Brazil the main surname (unlike the Spanish) is usually the last. Thus, Dr Paulo Lopes Pereira would normally be referred to as Dr Pereira. However, Brazilians are often known only by their first names, eg Dr Paulo. You should also bear in mind that the title Dr is used as a mark of respect and may have nothing to do with professional qualifications.

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