• Brasileiros: their charming and friendly character will stick to your flesh and bones and will live inside of you forever. For sure, the foremost attribute of the country.
• Brazil has almost 7.500 km of coastline which harbours never-ending white sand beaches lapped by The Atlantic Ocean and has created a beach culture.
• Its unique environmental heritage, makes Brazil one of the 17most bio -diverse countries in the world.
• Home to the 60% of the Amazon the largest and more diverse tropical rainforest in the world.
• Brazilian greetings will surely make you smile, especially when translated: beleza (beauty), tudo joia (all jewel), falou (what´s there, goodbye).
• Its most emblematic city, Rio de Janeiro, will host the 2016 Olympics.
• Its mild and tropical weather. Forget about the cold, the grey skies, and enjoy the sun and caipirinhas.
Some people love St Valentines Day; others hate it. For most people it depends on their love situation at the time of the event: if they are happily in love they will enjoy that day as if it was the last on earth whilst if they are broken-hearted or single they will just loathe every second of it. But what is the origin of this celebration?
Nothing is really certain when we come to the roots of this feast and the history of Saint Valentine, besides that he died on February 14th and that he was a Roman Priest . Among the countless legends, it is said that in the Middle Ages, Emperor Claudius II banned marriage but a priest called Valentine continued marrying couples despite the rulers´ prohibition.
The financial centre of Brazil is home to the largest Gay Festival in the world. Events of its kind are celebrated all around the globe becoming more and more popular as time passes, but none of them equals the magnitude of Parada do Orgulho Gay de São Paulo. This upcoming 4th of May, the 18th will take place and once again will take Avenida Paulista (the main thoroughfare of the city) and will ting it multicolour. Every year 2.5 million costumed gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender and friends come together to dance the day and night out.edition since its inception in 1997
But hard-party aside, the purpose of this event is the concession of homosexual rights and citizenships and the eradication of homophobia and other discriminations based on sexual condition. It might seem rare that in the 21st to take place but let ́s not forget that 78 countries in the world still consider homosexuality illegal and have criminal laws against homosexual activities.
Who hasn´t heard about Rio´s carnival? Indeed, this iconic Brazilian city has boomed as the Carnival capital of the world receiving 500.000 visitors annually. The roots of this event, which is full of excesses, dates back to the Romans and Greeks who celebrated their rites to spring. The European countries held celebrations with dances and masks, which arrived to Brazil by the Portuguese in 1850 and soon melted with African and Amerindian hints. They were suspended during World War II and started again in 1947.
Every year, 40 days before Easter, Rio is home to 5 crazy days of celebrations, which define the Brazilian culture and way of thinking. Taking place during February, (let´s not forget on the other side of the world it is the hottest month of the year)the event kicks off with the crowning of King Momo. Afterwards, the carnival invades every corner of the city culminating in the Samba Parade.
Samba is one of the basic ingredients of this party and you better start practicing if you are planning to attend. After all, this dance is flowing through the veins of every Brazilian. An impressive costume and a considerable amount of Caipirinha are the rest of the ingredients to ensure great fun. There are more than 300 hundred street bands, which play along the different neighbourhoods.
