If you could choose only one word to describe Brazil, it would be diversity. The variety of landscape, climate flora, fauna, racial types, and lifestyles is enormous. Brazilians tend to think of their country as some sort of continent within South America. The reason may be that it represents nearly half (47,3 percent) of the territory. Looking at the map, we can see that the entire east side of Brazil is coastline (Atlantic Ocean), while the west side borders almost all the other South American countries, except for Chile and Ecuador. Since Brazil is mostly situated south of the equator, the seasons are the reverse of those in Europe and the U.S.A. Officially, summer lasts from December 22 to March 21, fall from March 22 to June 21, winter from June 22 to September 21, and spring from September 22 to December 21. In parts of the country, however, notably the Amazon region, seasonal divisions are less clearly marked and tend to be classified as “wet” and “dry”. Brazil has four time zones. Brasília time is the nation’s official standard, three hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), London. The equator crosses the North of the country, near the city of Macapá . The Tropic of Capricorn passes through the South, near the city of São Paulo . This means that most of the country is within the tropical zone and characterized by a hot and humid climate. However, tropical does not necessary mean that every region is hot all year-round, nor that the countryside is filled with lush vegetation. Factors such as altitude, proximity to the sea, soil fertility, and prevailing winds ad weather fronts all have an effect on the different regions of the country. The North is hotter and the South cooler (temperatures in some parts can fall below zero and snow is even seen occasionally in some cities). Generally speaking, cities on the coast are more humid; while those located on plateaus inland, such as Brasilia, São Paulo , and Belo Horizonte, have more temperate climates. More specifically, Brazil can be divided into six climate zones: equatorial, tropical, Atlantic tropical, semiarid, highland tropical, and subtropical, according to location and terrain.

What is a Brazilian?

Brazilians are mainly descended from Native Indians, black Africans slaves, or white European settlers. They can also be mulatos (mixed white European and Native Indian), or mamelucos (mixed black African and Native Indian).
Apart from Portuguese, Spanish, and Dutch arrivals during colonial times, and later Italian, German, and Polish immigration, other large groups include immigrants from the Middle East, particularly Syria and Lebanon, and Japan. More recently arrived communities include Koreans and South American nationals from neighboring countries.

As a rule, the Brazilian “love for the mixture” seems to be contagious and most groups end up contributing to the birth of new generations of colorful nationals. There is a nationwide feeling that every newcomer will enrich the original culture with their new set of practices and beliefs. One Brazilian pastime (and a way to start a conversation) is to ask someone for their surname, trying to guess their origins. Although Brazilians might come in all shapes, colors, and sizes, acceptance of difference is one thing that defines their identity.

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Focus on relationship

This is a relationship focused and not system oriented society. Together with the sense of immediacy, this means that, in both personal and business life, contacts are made face-to-face rather than through written communication. Phone calls are considerably lengthy too. Time is spent on establishing and maintaining relationships. In business good personal contacts are important because, given the choice, Brazilians put people they know first and, if necessary, even bend the rules to accommodate their needs.


Jeitinho Brasileiro

The jeitinho is the Brazilian means of dealing creatively with life’s everyday complications. Literally translated as “a little way”, it can be taken to mean “there has to be another way”. In practice, it means that regardless of the rules or systems in place, where there is a will there has to be a way around them. If you take the country’s maddening bureaucracy and add the Brazilian tendency how it comes to exist. The jeitinho is so ingrained in daily life that you can see examples everywhere: managing to get a seat when all the places are booked up, travelling with more luggage than is allowed, or successfully ordering something that is not on restaurant menu. Even in legal matters, if someone wants something that is not permitted, he or she will try to figure out a loophole until they find an alternative way.

Everyone for themselves

The lack of social welfare is partially the reason for the high level of individualism in Brazilian society. Everyone has to fend for themselves and do the best they can. If that means having to go over other people’s heads or take advantage of certain situations, some will choose to do so. Therefore, doing things like using a jeitinho to pay less tax (justified, perhaps, by saying that politicians misuse taxpayers’ money) becomes what many consider to be an acceptable practice.

Family ties

Brazilian families are very closely knit. Since there is no state support in place, family members tend to help each other, sharing the good and bad moments as they come. It is common for grandparents to help look after their grandchildren, for parents to provide for children no longer living with them, or for sons and daughters to give their parents a regular income when necessary. Family comes first and there are very many family businesses. Family rituals are important too, including the family gathering for Sunday lunch.

What’s new?

Brazil is a relatively young country. It is thus not surprising that it is attracted to the new, but very few nations are as open to it as Brazil. This attitude seems to have started early, during the period of colonization.

It has been said that Brazil was a country where a foreigner could change their destiny without losing their identity. Even if their original identity remained, however, something would certainly have been added to it. The early marriages between Europeans and Native Indians must have given rise to huge culture shock. Newcomers continue to be attracted by the Brazilians’ tolerance of racial mixture and the resulting cultural flexibility, particularly in the big cities. It is an open-mindedness that extends to other areas, such as sexuality or business practices. Brazil is thirsty for fresh, original ideas and is so accustomed to these that, maybe it really can absorb new cultures, or businesses, without being afraid that its own identity will be affected.

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The above extract is kindly provided by Culture Smart! the essential guide to customs & culture. The 168-page guide retails at £6.95 + P&P and is available directly from Kuperard, the publishers of Culture Smart! guides.

CultureSmart!Consulting in conjunction with Cactus Language Training creates tailor-made seminars and consultancy programs to meet a wide range of corporate, public sector, and individual needs. Find out more at www.cactuslanguagetraining.com.

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