Image by Kinho Pizzato via FlickrOwing to Brazil’s continental dimensions, varied geography, history and people, the country’s culture is rich and diverse. It has several regional variations, and in spite of being mostly unified by a single language, some regions are so different from each other that they could have become different countries altogether.
Music plays an important part in Brazilian identity. Styles like ''choro'', ''samba'' and ''bossa nova'' are considered genuinely Brazilian. ''Caipira'' music is also in the roots of ''sertanejo'' (the national equivalent to country music). MPB stands for Brazilian Popular Music, which mixes several national styles under a single concept. ''Forró'', a north-eastern happy dancing music style, has also become common nationwide. New urban styles include ''funk'' - name given to a dance music genre from Rio's ''favelas'' that mixes heavy electronic beats and often raunchy rapping - and ''techno-brega'', a crowd-pleaser in northern states, that fuses romantic pop, dance music and caribbean rhythms.
Image by PEDRO LACERDA BXD via FlickrA mixture of martial arts, dance, music and game, '''capoeira''' was brought to Brazil by African slaves, mainly from Portuguese [[Angola]]. Distinguished by vivacious complicated movements and accompanying music, it can be seen and practiced in many Brazilian cities.
In the classical music, the Modern Period is particularly notable, due to the works of composers like Heitor Villa-Lobos and Camargo Guarnieri, who created a typical brazilian school, mixing elements of the traditional european classical music to the brazilian rhythms, while other composers like Cláudio Santoro followed the guidelines of the Second School of Vienna. In the Romantic Period, the greatest name was Antonio Carlos Gomes, author of some italian-styled operas with typical brazilian themes, like ''Il Guarany'' and ''Lo Schiavo''. In the Classical Period, the most proeminent name is José Maurício Nunes Gacia, a priest who wrote both sacred and secular music and was very influenced by the viennese classical style of the 18th century and early 19th century.
''Candomble'' and ''Umbanda'' are religions with African roots that have survived prejudice and persecution and still have a significant following in Brazil. Their places of cult are called ''terreiros'' and many are open to visit.
''Indigenous'' traits can be found everywhere in Brazilian culture, from cuisine to vocabulary. There are still many indigenous groups and tribes living in all Brazilian regions, although many have been deeply influenced by "western" culture, and several of the country's surviving indigenous languages are in danger of disappearing completely. The traditional lifestyle and graphic expressions of the Wajãpi indigenous group from the state of Amapá were proclaimed a Masterpiece of the World's Intangible Heritage
[http://www.unesco.org/culture/intangible-heritage/masterpiece.php?id=54&lg=en] by UNESCO.
Image by dereckesanches via Flickr
Image by dereckesanches via Flickr
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