Archive for 'Culture'
Primeiro de abril Posted by Rachel on Apr 2, 2012
Also known as Dia da mentira (Lie Day), o primeiro de abril (April 1) is a day for tricks and jokes, as it is in the United States and Europe. It’s the day for mentiras (lies), trotes (pranks), brincadeiras (jokes), and pegadinhas (practical jokes). When you prank someone on April 1st in Brazil, you then…
Superstitions in Brazil Posted by Adir on Mar 30, 2012
Olá, tudo bem? I was thinking one of these days about our superstitions in Brazil. Brazil is known for being a superstitious country, mainly due to our deeply rooted religious history and background. Let me cut to the chase and show you some of our superstitions. Bater na madera. We knock on wood three times…
Chico Buarque Posted by Rachel on Mar 29, 2012
Chico Buarque is one of Brazil’s most famous MPB musicians, and is also an author, poet, and playwright. He’s famous for writing songs considered dangerous by Brazil’s military dictatorship and using word play to express criticism of the regime. He’s written eight books and five plays, as well as writing several screenplays. Read about Buarque’s…
Jogos Vorazes Posted by Rachel on Mar 23, 2012
Olá galera! Amanhã será a estreia do filme Jogos Vorazes, nos Estados Unidos e no Brasil também. Leia sobre o filme em português. Sinopse: Jogos Vorazes se passa um futuro distante, depois da extinção da América do Norte, quando sua população é dividida em 12 distritos. Todos os anos nas ruínas de onde outrora fora…
O Jeitinho Posted by Rachel on Mar 22, 2012
If you spend time in Brazil, you’ll learn about the jeitinho brasileiro. It’s hard to translate, but it it’s a cultural phenomenon that allows one to get around a rule or a law, essentially a loophole, to gain a personal advantage. The jeitinho is used in order to maneuver through bureaucracy, to make a time-consuming…
Brazilian Bar Song Posted by Rachel on Mar 21, 2012
Beer drinking is big in Brazil, as is bar culture in big cities. In Rio de Janeiro, for example, botecos are a fun place to have a chopp (beer on tap) and some delicious aperitivos (bar food, or appetizers) with friends. Here’s a fun song, in the forró style, about going drinking with friends in…
How to “make time” to study languages Posted by Adir on Mar 19, 2012
Olá, pessoal! Tudo bem? My good friend, Brazilian EFL author Ulisses Wehby de Carvalho has so kindly allowed me to use one of the texts in his successful blog Tecla Sap. It’s about how to “make time” to study a foreign language. The text is in Portuguese so you can read good and authentic Portuguese…