Carnival in Brazil: Salvador Posted by Rachel on Feb 25, 2009
This week, we’re looking at the different Carnival celebrations in Brazil. Today, we’re going to look at Carnival in Salvador, in the northern state of Bahia. Salvador’s Carnival is one of the largest outdoor celebrations in the world, attracting nearly three million people every year for the six day festival. In this city, huge crowds…
Carnival in Brazil: São Paulo Posted by Rachel on Feb 24, 2009
This week, we’re looking at different Carnival celebrations throughout Brazil. Today, we’re going to look at Carnival in São Paulo. Carnival in São Paulo is very similar to Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Percussion bands leading parades of revelers through the streets called blocos are common, which began in the early 1900s. Samba schools first…
Carnival in Brazil: Recife Posted by Rachel on Feb 23, 2009
Carnival began this past weekend across Brazil and though it officially lasts until Tuesday, some festivities continue throughout the week. So this week, we’ll take a look at the different Carnival celebrations throughout the country. Today, we’re going to look at Recife’s Carnival. The celebrations in Pernambuco’s capital and its immediate neighbor, Olinda, are known…
UCLA Launches Brazil Center Posted by Rachel on Feb 20, 2009
This month, the University of California, Los Angeles opened a center devoted to Brazil studies as a part of a larger center focusing on the Southern Cone. The center’s opening also featured an exhibit “Rio de Janeiro: Two Centuries of Urban Change, 1808-2008,” which will be on display at the Charles E. Young Research Library…
Accomodations Vocabulary Posted by Rachel on Feb 19, 2009
When traveling in Brazil, it’s important to know the difference between the different options in accomodations. Today, we’re going to look at the various types and the associated vocabulary. albergue: this is a hostel, which typically has a few shared rooms and one or two private rooms. pousada: in English, we’d call this a bed…
Albino Turtles Born in Amazonas Posted by Rachel on Feb 18, 2009
This week, two albino turtles were born on the Abufari animal reserve in Amazonas state. In the second half of 2008, over 381,000 turtles were born on the reserve. According to the director of the reserve, one or two albinos are born for every hundred thousand turtles. Via Globo/ICMBio
Watermelon Festival in Rio Grande do Sul Posted by Rachel on Feb 17, 2009
While the rest of the country gears up for Carnival, the city of Pedro Osório in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul is having a different kind of celebration: a watermelon festival. In the eighth annual edition of the festival, watermelon producers sell fresh fruit to the public, as well as the…