Brazil Culture

1140 Words3 Pages

The people of Brazil often have a very friendly and easy-going energy about them. There are a number of non-verbal dynamics that include touching, hand gestures, and high boundary tolerance. Brazilians have less sense of personal space than North Americans and are not bothered being packed together in crowded public places. While in some societies touching has sexual overtones, Brazilians equate it with friendship and a show of concern. According to iorworld.com “Touching forms a large part of Brazilian communication”. Also according to brazil.org, “Brazilians are usually rather affectionate, tactile people. Men shake hands with one another, while women will kiss each other’s cheeks in greeting. They will start with the left cheek and then …show more content…

It is much easier to be accepted if you are introduced by a mutual acquaintance. During the initial introduction of business partners the typical greeting is to shake hands and sometimes get kissed on the cheeks. Building good business relationships is a great priority to have in Brazil. The more familiar people become the easier it is to do business and build trust. “Remember that doing business IS a type of social interaction in Brazil,” says Maria-Brazil.org. Some other cultural etiquette considerations to include would be: making sure you are always properly dressed when attending a dinner event, never under-dress, always bring a gift to an event if you are not the hostess, avoid giving …show more content…

Carnival is a four-day extravaganza marked by parades of costumed dancers, musicians, formal balls, street dancing, and musical contests, which makes it a truly national party. During Carnival Brazilians briefly forget what they call the- hard realities of life. Carnival is symbolic of the national ethos because it plays too many of the dualities in Brazilian life, wealth and poverty, African and European, female and male. The key to carnival's popularity is its break with and reversal of the everyday reality. Through the use of costume; notably called fantasia in Portuguese, anyone can become anybody at carnival time. Class hierarchies based on wealth and power are briefly set aside, poverty is forgotten, men may dress as women, leisure supplants work, and the disparate components of Brazilian society blend in a dizzying blaze of color and

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