Brazil Local Customs

  Detail View of Showerhead, including...
by glabah
 
  • Detail View of Showerhead, including electric tape
      Detail View of Showerhead, including...
    by glabah
  •   Fitas
    by Kellyba1989
  • Moqueca Capixaba - Whiting and Shrimps
      Moqueca Capixaba - Whiting and Shrimps
    by ThiagoRamos
  • Moqueca Capixaba - Cação
      Moqueca Capixaba - Cação
    by ThiagoRamos
  • The little duck is in the middle.
      The little duck is in the middle.
    by MarioPortugal
 

Most Viewed Local Customs in Brazil

51.

Beach   Rio de Janeiro

Beach, Rio de Janeiro

 33 Reviews  When you are in Rio you quickly realize that we all love the beach, no matter if the weather is fine or not, but we always find any reason to be close by the sea. Even when the sea is flat you will... 

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52.

Portuguese needed... or not?   São Paulo

Portuguese needed... or not?, São Paulo

 6 Reviews  it's difficult to travel here without knowing some rudimentary Portuguese (even Spanish helps a lot! for some reason most Brasilian/Portuguese people can understand Spanish, but not the other way... 

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53.

Bahian dress   Salvador da Bahia

Bahian dress, Salvador da Bahia

 4 Reviews   When you enter Pelourinho in Salvador you’ll be met by baiana women wearing traditional Bahian dresses. The outfit of a baiana woman is turban, starched skirts of colourful pattern, shawl over the... 

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54.

Thumbs Up! Speak Portuguese   Manaus

Thumbs Up! Speak Portuguese, Manaus

 4 Reviews  Brazil is not a bilingual country and, in Manaus, as well as the rest of Brazil, most people are not fluent in English or any foreign language. In shops and turistic points you' ll probably find... 

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55.

Cachaça and Caipirinha   Rio de Janeiro

Cachaça and Caipirinha, Rio de Janeiro

 4 Reviews  Cachaca is a spirit native to Brazil and is distilled from fresh sugarcane juice. Considered a member of the rum family, it is lighter than other rums which are molasses based. Cachaca has a light,... 

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56.

Good food !   São Paulo

Good food !, São Paulo

 3 Reviews  The city's Italian community is large and vibrant, and much of their culture has found its way into the daily lives of every paulista (i.e. someone from São Paulo). However, the Italian influence is... 

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57.

Bahian Food   Salvador da Bahia

Bahian Food, Salvador da Bahia

 7 Reviews  Bahian cuisine has the influence of Portuguese, African and Indian cultures with a predominance of local exotic ingredients. Is characterized by the generous use of malagueta chili peppers and dende... 

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58.

local people   Manaus

local people, Manaus

 4 Reviews  from the Manaus Region, have become very much aware of their Heritage and try to preserve their way of life and culture. much of their land has been confiscated, burned and left the tribes on a knifes... 

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59.

Fitas   Salvador da Bahia

Fitas, Salvador da Bahia

 5 Reviews  I went to Salvador in 2007 and had my wrist covered in these beautiful Bahia Wish Bracelets. Long story short, I long ago forgot about them and the story behind them until I recently came across them... 

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60.

fishing   Manaus

fishing, Manaus

 1 Review  fishermen at the port of Belem...the main income source for many in the 70s, has been still is I suppose, a spectaculare pasttime for tourist, when the Fishermen brought their catch home in the late... 

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61.

Berimbau   Salvador da Bahia

Berimbau, Salvador da Bahia

 3 Reviews  The Brazilian berimbau is a single-string percussion instrument, braced musical bow or African origin. It consists of a wooden bow (traditionally made from biribi wood) about 1,2 - 1,5 m long, with a... 

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62.

Capoeira   Salvador da Bahia

Capoeira, Salvador da Bahia

 5 Reviews  Capoeira is a unique Afro-Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, dance, music and acrobatics. But capoiera is much more; it is a ritual and a philosophy, a cultural tradition and a... 

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63.

Acaraje   Salvador da Bahia

Acaraje, Salvador da Bahia

 2 Reviews  Acareje is street food eaten at any time as a snack. It consists of a patty, made from mashed feijao fradinho (black-eyed beans). The mash is deep-fried in dende oil (derived from a nut found on the... 

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64.

Carnaval   Salvador da Bahia

Carnaval, Salvador da Bahia

 2 Reviews  New info on the last 2005 Salvador Carnaval in my new Travelogue. Carnaval is Locura Total : for 6 day and 6 night million of people dancing, singing and drinking. The old carnival consisted of big... 

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65.

Dance   Salvador da Bahia

Dance, Salvador da Bahia

 2 Reviews  I stayed in Bahia from 16th until 25th June (S. Joao). Everywhere you could hear "forro", and in the night there are forro bands all over. You´ll have to learn and dance it (and very close one each... 

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66.

Cafezinho   Salvador da Bahia

Cafezinho, Salvador da Bahia

 2 Reviews  At any time of the day you will see these little coffee-cars with with decorations beyond imagination especially in the city center. Some are very basic, but lots of them are equipped with fantastic... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

the Wildlife of Brasil

by pepples46

Fauna and Flora and the amazing Wildlife of Brasil is second to none in the World, I confess the northern Regions are more blessed then the South. understandable, there is the huge Amazon Region with its Jungle and waterways, huge VICTORIA REGINA..Waterlilli's, never seen bigger then on the Amazon. Orchids, so beautiful and valuable..Humboldt described them as Treasure of the World. His Expedition on the Amazon a very good read.Birds in abundance, Monkeys, Jacares...Caymans as big as you've never even heard of, Snakes, Spiders...and others who are not so on the wildside, shy animals, like the Ozelot..and not so shy ones like the common Mormoset, called Mico's in Brasil...they even made their home in the big Cities like Rio...I have more info on them in my South America pageI do hope we can take care of them

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Going to the Beach and what to bring

by realde14

Going to the beach is a religion in Brasil and you have to bring...nothing except for handful of reais when you get there so you can buy coconut water (agua de coco) or beer, and rent a beach chair and enjoy the scene.Do not bring valuables to the beach!!!!!!!!!!!

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two brasilian Kings

by pepples46

Jorge Amado and Dorival Caymmi..Jorge the Writer of great Literature and Dori the Master of SambaJorge Amado, born 1912 south of Bahia, as son of a cocoa planter, graduated at Rio's Law School. His first NovelO Pais do Carnaval..Land of Carnaval, 1931CacauCapitaes da Areia.....Captains of the SandGabriela, Gravo e Canela......Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamonthe books where very importand to me.translated in all mayor languages speak for themself.the website below will give you much more inside then I can provide here on VTJorge Amado died 2001 Dorival Caymmi, the King of Samba, the old Master which wrote many songs for Carmen Mirinda and worked with Noel Rosa, a good friend of Satchmowhen Bossa Nova took the world by storm, he continued to write his great songsEu vou pra Maracanalha and O MarCal Costa payed tribute in Gal Canta Caymmi

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Twenty Words to Know in Brazilian Portuguese

by peace_prevails

1. Hello - Oi (more like hi than hello - informal)2. Goodbye - Tchau (Chow)3. Good morning - Bom dia4. Good afternoon - Boa tarde5. Good night - Boa noite6. You good? - Tudo bom?7. I'm good, and you? - Tudo bom e voce?8. Where is the bathroom? - Onde esta o banheiro?9. How much? - Quanto e?10. How many? Quantos?11. Expensive. Caro/Cara12. Cheap. Barato/Barata13. Where is ___________? Onde est? ________?14. My name is Rupruct. Meu nome e Rupruct. 15. What is your name? Come seu nome?16. I am an american. Eu sou americano.17. Are you Brasilian? A voce e Brasileiro?18. Where are you from? De onde voce e?19. I am from Texas. Eu sou de Texas. 20. I am going to learn Portuguese. Vou aprender portugues.

Icecold beer.

by Dizzyhead

When you are in Brazil you always get icecold beer. Very nice when it is very hot. Don´t put all hand around the bottle when you pour it into a glass. The beer in the glas will not stay there. I have learnt that from experience.

Beijos - Kisses and greetings

by peace_prevails

I am by no means an expert on this, but this is my understanding of giving beijos, or kisses, when meeting or leaving Brazilians. First off, this is usually only done in social situations, and not in the 'business world'... Men give a kiss to a woman while giving a handhake or hug, the right cheek first, then sometimes the left cheek as well. Three are usually reserved 'for marriage' - or wishes of marriage, although some places in the south give three. Best off to just go with two. Women kiss women, usually two times, while hugging. Men never (or very rarely) kiss when greeting other men, they just shake hands. Also, many people often ask about how much lip to apply to cheek. Mostly they are 'air kisses' while the cheeks touch but people you know better (or may want to know better!) sometimes get more lip-on-cheek.

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Drinking Chimarrão (Erva Mate) the Gaucho way

by peace_prevails

When in the far south of Brazil, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, you will encounter a special kind of Brazilian - if you can call him that - who will refere to himself as a Gaucho. One way to identify this fellow is the special 'kit' he will be carrying. To a norte americano it looks like some sort of specialized coffee kit at first glance. But upon closer inspection, one will see that there is some sort of 'green stuff' in some sort of 'native looking coffee mug'. What you have encountered is an authentic gaucho 'Chimarrão Kit'. You may even be offered a hit off of it. If so, there are some special etiquette rules you should follow:1. first, never ever move the bomba (the reed straw) - this is very offensive because it takes a delicate touch to arrange the straw in the hole of the floating tea leaves just right. 2. drink all the chimarrão until you actually hear the 'rude slurping...

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Being Polite - Misses manners for gringos

by peace_prevails

In Brazil, it is polite to always say good morning or good afternoon or good evening before asking for help or directions. Also, it is even better to ask how the person is going- Tudo bom? Como vai? Never directly ask before greeting - it is rude in most instances. When using a toothpick after a meal at the table, cover those pearly whites with one hand while picking with the other. Never throw things across the table or room. Hand them to people. That thong or sunga (speedo) is perfectly fine on the beach, but when walking on the rua (street), cover up. You're not that hot anyhow. If you don't learn any other thing in portuguese, at least learn this:"Desculpe, você fala inglês?"Sorry, do you speak english. Never approach someone firstoff with english.

Sewing in the northeast

by perfectly_zen

I go nuts when I get to an artwork fair in the Northeast....apart from the typical food they sell, there are lots of local women selling their marvellous work, the so called "renda". This tissue is made on hand, straw by straw, a very time consuming activity, but o boy the result is perfect...=)

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Importance of the sea

by perfectly_zen

From north to south, the sea has definately played an important role for the brazilian people. Right from the begining, most of the villages were constructed near the coastline, which is one of the longest in the world...It´s one of the blessings the country has.Apart from the fishermen....most of the people in Brazil loves to spend a day or weekend in the beach...even those who live away (like me ohhhh =( ) manage to escape to the coast during the hollidays...Many even have a second house near the beach....simple or luxurious, it does not matter, they all want the same thing!!! Either for way of living, either for entertainement, the sea is in the heart of every brazilian. =D

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Top 3 Hotels in Brazil

Copacabana Palace  Rio de Janeiro

 21 Reviews and 355 Opinions  A veritable Rio landmark, Copacabana Palace continues to enjoy a reputation as one of the most... 

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Hilton Sao Paulo Morumbi  São Paulo

 4 Reviews and 200 Opinions  ALL PICTURES ON PAGE 1 ( PICS 1 - 5 ) AND ON THIS PAGE # 6 AND 7 TAKEN IN SEPTEMBER 2003 , PICTURES... 

 Hotels in São Paulo

Aram Yami Hotel  Salvador da Bahia

 1 Review and 100 Opinions  I did not stay at the hotel, but my good friends did and I visited them there, hung out in the... 

 Hotels in Salvador da Bahia

Questions and Answers

Didii profile photo

Q:  Hi there! I am looking for people, who love dancing, have attended or are planning to attend Brazilian dance (Samba, Forro)... 

Jerelis profile photo

A: I don't think that this topic belongs on a VT forum. This site is about sharing tips, vidoes and photos on travelling. It's not a site where you want to meet up with... 

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