Brazilian States Santa Catarina

Capital: Florianópolis
Area: 95.736,165 km²

The Phrygian cap symbolizes the republican forces that govern us; The stalk of wheat symbolizes the farming land; The coffee branch symbolizes the coastal farming; The shield contains the date of the establishment of the Republic in Santa Catarina on November 17, 1889; The key is to remember that Santa Catarina is a strategic point of First Order; The eagle represents the productive forces.

Extra factoids:

Santa Catarina literally translates as “Saint Catherine”

Brazilian History

Before the Portuguese arrived Brazil was known as “Pindorama” - Land of the Pindobas (pindoba is a type of fruit).

Pindobas

The Portuguese renamed it Vera Cruz (Cross of Truth).

The name Brazil comes from the name of a type of hardwood tree called “pau-brasil” which was extremely valued by the Portuguese as a source of red dye.

pau-brasil tree

Brazil’s states and which region they fall under.

Green = North

Blue = Northeast

Purple = Central West

Red = Southeast

Yellow = South

Pop Culture: Protesting

After two dictatorships (the most recent and violent of the two lasting from 1964-1989) Brazilians take their right to complain and be heard very seriously. 

As such, protesting is a huge part of pop culture. Anything about the way things are run can be grounds for a protest.

Anything.

Don’t believe me?

When my mother was in university the students were sick and tired of always being fed boiled eggs (ovo cozido). In true Brazilian style, they took the famous chant of

o povo                               the people

unido                                 united

jamais será vencido          will never [ever] be beaten

and tweaked it a bit.

Then, they took to their campus’ cafeteria chanting

o ovo                                 the boiled egg

cozido                               

jamais será comido!           will never [ever] be eaten!

until the cafeteria staff agreed to fry the eggs once in a while. 

While my mother has no picture of the protest, here’s a similar situation:

The Technology Federal University of Paraná (UTFPR) has the most expensive university cafeteria in the country. In 2013 the students felt that the the price was ridiculous for the quality of food they recieved.

Lo and behold, this happened: 

Bottom right:

beterraba de novo? - radishes again?

Top left:

comida ruím eu msm faço - if I wanted food that tastes bad I would cook it myself

Literally, “food that tastes bad I can make [by] myself”

au au au pelo menos bota sal! - at least put [some] salt [in the food]!

Note: While “au au” can mean “woof woof” in this case it is meant as a sound that that rhymes with sal (salt).

Top right:

temos o RU mais caro do país - we have the most expensive university caff in the country

RU stands for “restaurante universitário” (university restaurant), the Brazilian term for an university cafeteria

Side note: Brazil does not distinguish between university and college. Almost all post secondary education takes place in universities. The other version is called a faculdade (faculty), and the only thing that distinguishes it from an university how many courses it offers. Also, federal universities have the reputation for being the best universities in the country (as opposed private ones), and (like with all public universities) are tuition-free if you manage to pass the tough and extensive entrance exam (vestibular).

Colloquialisms, sayings, & Slang

Anta - Tapir

To call someone a tapir is to question their inteligence. It can be a light and playful way of poking fun such as if someone had a brain fart moment or it can also be used more harshly. Think calling someone "dummy" or "dum-dum" vs "idiot".  

Gato/Gata - Cat (male/female)

Calling someone a cat is the Brazilian equivalent of saying someone is hot/foxy/a total babe.

Colloquialisms, sayings, & Slang

Sayings about Patience

De grão em grão, a galinha enche o papo. - Grain by grain a chicken fills its tummy

De moeda em moeda se faz uma fortuna - Coin by coin one makes a fortune

Devagar se vai longe - [By] going slowly you go far

The Brazilian equivalent of “slow and steady wins the race”

Água mole em pedra dura, tanto bate até que fura. - If soft water strikes the hard stone long enough, eventually it will create a hole

Literally, “soft water on hard stone, strikes so much that it pierces [through]”

Pop Culture: Turma da Mônica

Turma da Mônica (Monica’s Gang) is a nationally renown comic series created by Mauricio de Souza.

An iconic picture of the 90's of Mauricio and his most famous creations 

The characters first appeared in comic strips for the newspaper (a la Peanutsor For Better or Worse), and eventually became so popular that they started to be made as comic books. 

Nowadays they come out in monthly and weekly installments, with various editions dedicated to showcasing stories that focus on a specific character as a protagonist.

These comics are so popular that they have their own tv show, movies, theme park, and store.

It’s not just something for the kids. This is huge in Brazil. They’re on cute baby diapers. They’re on food wrappers, shampoo bottles, and pet products.They have toys and dolls. They have every type of children’s memorabilia you can think of, from school notebooks to bed covers.

In fact, people often use the character names as a way of calling someone something related to the most famous traits of each character.

It has been translated into Spanish, English, Chinese, and Greek. 

Turma da Mônica was officially translated into English as “Monica’s Gang”, but its meaning is something closer to “Monica & Friends”)