Parab\u00e9<\/i>ns, Rio!<\/i><\/p>\n
This past Saturday, March 1st, marked the 443rd birthday of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and festivities around the city marked the event, including a six meter-long birthday cake at the train station to the Christ the Redeemer monument and a free bossa nova concert on the beach in Ipanema. (To watch video footage of the concert, click here<\/a>)<\/p>\n Rio de Janeiro was founded in 1565 by Portuguese settlers, who managed to defeat French explorers and indigenous groups in order to establish the city.<\/p>\n Rio de Janeiro was also the capital of Brazil for nearly 200 years, from 1763 to 1960.<\/p>\n As for a quick language tip: birthday is anivers\u00e1<\/i>rio<\/i> in Portuguese, but many people say “congratulations” (parab\u00e9<\/i>ns<\/i>) as a way of saying “Happy Birthday,” instead of the literal “Feliz<\/i> anivers\u00e1<\/i>rio<\/i>.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Parab\u00e9ns, Rio! This past Saturday, March 1st, marked the 443rd birthday of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and festivities around the city marked the event, including a six meter-long birthday cake at the train station to the Christ the Redeemer monument and a free bossa nova concert on the beach in Ipanema. (To watch video footage…<\/p>\n