Olá, prezados leitores! So here we are again, ready to ring in the ano novo (new year). The past few years have been quite unstable and unpredictable. But one thing is for sure: our retrospectiva with the year’s highlights.

Vamos relembrar o ano de 2021! (Photo by Olya Kobruseva from Pexels)

That’s right, time to look back on the main facts and events that left a lasting impact on our society.

Do you keep up with Brazilian notícias (news)? In today’s post, we are going to focus chiefly on situations that abalaram (shook) Brazil in 2021. Can you remember reading about any major stories about our country in the recent passado (past)? Well, stick around and join me on a trip down memory lane.

A morte de Paulo Gustavo | Paulo Gustavo’s death

Dizer adeus (saying goodbye) to beloved celebrities is inevitable every year. But it takes on a whole new meaning when a perda (the loss) involves such a young, talented person who lost a battle to Covid-19. 

The 42 year-old actor and comedian Paulo Gustavo nos deixou (left us) in May, after spending 50 days internado (hospitalized). The hugely successful artist rose to fame for creating and playing the role of a personagem (character), Dona Hermínia, a funny and overbearing middle-aged housewife. His play (and later a movie adaptation) featuring the hilarious Dona Hermínia brought millions to the theaters and cinemas alike. Who would have thought that the captivating Paulo Gustavo could ever bring us to lágrimas (tears)?

You can assistir (watch) some of his comedy skis here:

Acusações contra o ex-presidente Lula anuladas | Former president Lula’s charges annulled

Culpado ou não culpado? Guilty or not guilty?

O ex-president Lula pode se eleger de novo (Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay)

After spending nearly two years na cadeia (in prison), our former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, originally condenado (sentenced) to nine years on charges of lavagem de dinheiro (money laundering), foi solto (was released). Subsequently, the Supreme Court Justice ruled the cases brought against as unlawful due to ausência de provas (lack of evidence) and a biased julgamento (trial), thus restoring his direitos políticos (political rights).

Lula, now qualified for candidatar-se (running) again, has been ever since liderando nas pesquisas (leading the polls) against Bolsonaro for the 2022 presidential elections. Who do you think has a chance of ganhar (winning)?

Olimpíadas de Tóquio | Tokyo Olympics

As olimpíadas de Tóquio trouxeram alegria (Image by Pixabay)

As far as sports as concerned, however, Brazil came in for some praise in the Tokyo Olympic games this June. With seven medalhas de ouro (gold medals), six medalhas de prata (silver medals) and eight medalhas de bronze (bronze medals) we quebramos nosso recorde (broke our record) and this has been our melhor desempenho (best performance) so far.

And if that’s not enough reason to be orgulhosos (proud), we also ganhamos (won) the first gold medal ever in surfing, thanks to Ítalo Ferreira. Another destaque (high point) was the 13-year-old prodigy Rayssa Leal, who brought home a silver medal in the Skateboarding competition, making her the mais jovem (youngest) Brazilian athlete to earn such an achievement.

In a year plagued by uncertainty, seeing our hard-working competitors subirem ao pódio (climbing onto the podium) just fills our hearts with joy.

Did you already know about these facts we mentioned today? What else do you have in mind as you remember 2021’s events? Let us know in the comments below. Vejo vocês em breve!