Northeastern culture is very diverse, as it has been influenced by indigenous peoples, Africans and Europeans.
Customs and traditions often vary from state to state.
Having been the first region to be effectively colonised by the Portuguese, back in the 16th century, who encountered the native populations there and were accompanied by Africans brought over as slaves, the culture of the Northeast is very particular and typical, although extremely varied.
It is based on Portuguese-Brazilian culture, with major African influences, especially on the coast from Pernambuco to Bahia and in Maranhão, and Amerindian influences, especially in the semi-arid hinterland.
Brazil’s northeastern culture is rich, diverse and deeply rooted in the traditions, history and experiences of the region’s people.
Composed of indigenous, African and European influences, Northeastern culture manifests itself in a variety of ways, including music, dance, cuisine, popular festivals, literature and the arts.
Popular music in northeastern culture includes rhythms such as coconut, xaxado, agalopado hammer, samba de roda, baião, xote, forró, Axé and frevo, among other rhythms.
Northeastern culture is a true celebration of the diversity and resistance of its people, reflecting an intangible heritage of great wealth and importance for Brazil and the world.
Northeastern cuisine has been directly influenced by the socio-economic factors of the region. The dishes have characteristics of Portuguese cuisine, known during the colonial period; African culture, absorbed at the time of slavery; and indigenous food, inherited from the native population. The recipes generally include vegetables, beef and goat meat, […]
According to Simões (1980), the main characteristics that distinguish Portuguese tiles in the first 25 years of the 17th century are monumentality, suitability for architecture and modernity. The Portuguese tile arrived in Brazil in synchrony with the other arts and followed the same process of acculturation existing in Portugal. In […]
The handicrafts of Maranhão have more than 400 years of tradition, just a visit to the Historic Centre of São Luís and you can see the variety of artefacts from the artisanal production of Maranhão, marked by the creativity of a popular tradition that has been improved since the foundation […]
Arabic architecture developed in Portugal during the Muslim presence in the country (712-1249). The originality of architectural structures and ornamental motifs gave rise to a very distinctive Muslim architecture. The horseshoe arch, of Visigothic influence, is the hallmark of Muslim civilisation in Portugal. Ornamentation is one of the great characteristics […]
Get to know the main historical cities of the north-east of Brazil built during the colonial period that still retain a large part of their preserved houses. The history of Brazil is rich, comprehensive and full of contradictions. Developing a narrative that addresses the details of the conquest and colonisation […]
The coast of Maranhão has incredible dunes of the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park and mangroves, the beaches of the state of Maranhão have a unique look in the Northeast. On this stretch of the Brazilian coast you can find almost deserted beaches in fishing villages or even in the metropolitan […]
The Pedra Caída Complex in Chapada das Mesas in the state of Maranhão is a must-see attraction for those passing through Chapada das Mesas (MA) and the tip goes even for the less adept at nature activities. The Sanctuary of Pedra Caída in Chapada das Mesas is a large tourist […]
The Chapada das Mesas National Park has sandstone geographic formations, about 70 million years old and that can reach around 400 metres high and is extremely exuberant with its mountains, waterfalls, rivers and lakes that jump to our eyes and provide an incredible experience. The Chapada das Mesas is one […]
Tracunhaém is a municipality in Pernambuco, Brazil, renowned for its rich tradition of clay craftsmanship. Located in the Agreste region of the state, the town has a long-standing reputation for producing handmade ceramics. The main attraction of Tracunhaém is the transformation of clay into utilitarian and decorative pieces, thus being […]
The municipality of Tutóia in Maranhão is a support base for those who visit the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park and the Parnaiba River Delta. Tutóia is geographically privileged for being located in front of the Parnaíba River Delta and next to the Little Lençóis Maranhenses. The dunes are one of […]
Macapá Waterfall or Cachoeira do Macapá, located between Balsas and Nova Colinas, South region of Maranhão, with more than 80 meters of waterfall is considered the largest waterfall in the region. The Chapada das Mesas in the southern region of Maranhão exudes beautiful landscapes, enriched by waterfalls and ecological trails. […]
Maranhão is the synthesis state of Brazil. Here characteristics of the North, Northeast and Midwest converge. Different nuances of climate, vegetation, hydrography, coastline, relief, history and culture blend together amid a tropical panel of colors, flavors, sounds, textures, smells and stunning landscapes that portray the Brazilian joy of being from […]
Tropical flowers of exuberant beauty will adorn many parties this holiday season. Flower cultivation plays a key role in preserving varieties. Much of the beauty of Christmas parties in the southeast of the country depends on tropical flowers grown on a large scale in the Northeast. Pernambuco is the state that […]
Casa Grande & Senzala was the work that consecrated the Brazilian sociologist and writer Gilberto Freyre. This essay, released on December 1, 1933, addresses the formation and economic-social development of the Northeast during the colonial era. The author sees in the cultivation of sugar cane, in the middle of the […]
The São Jorge dos Erasmos Mill was the third sugar mill to be built in Portuguese America, in the center of the village of São Vicente, today in the São Paulo municipality of Santos. It was probably built around 1534 by order of Martim Afonso de Sousa, the donee of […]
José Américo de Almeida (1887-1980) was a Brazilian writer and politician. His work “A Bagaceira”, started the Regionalist Generation of the Northeast. He was elected to the Brazilian Academy of Letters on October 27, 1966, occupying chair number 38. He was also a lawyer, university professor, folklorist and sociologist. José […]
The name rapadura, a variation of “raspadura” (from the verb raspar), originated from the scraping of the thick layers of sugar stuck to the walls of the pots used to make it. It is typical of the north-east of Brazil. Its use is extensive and varies according to the cultural […]
The electric trio of musicians Dodô and Osmar celebrated 64 years of existence in 2015, while axé turns 30. Without this sound truck, the Bahian Carnival would definitely not be the same. But those who frequent the circuits of the Bahian festival and are impressed by the structure of the […]
Jorge Amado was born on August 10, 1912, on the Auricídia farm, in the district of Ferradas, municipality of Itabuna, southern Bahia State. Son of cocoa farmer João Amado de Faria and Eulália Leal Amado. At the age of one, he went to Ilhéus, where he spent his childhood. He […]
Cachoeiras de Carolina is in Vale das Águas, extreme south of Maranhão, the scenery is paradisiacal. Carolina is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Maranhão. It is located in the south of the state, on the right bank of the Tocantins River. It is known for its several waterfalls. […]
Chapada das Mesas is an environmental protection area covering 160,046 hectares of Cerrado. Chapada das Mesas is composed of the municipalities of Imperatriz, Tasso Fragoso, Estreito, Carolina, Riachão, Balsas, Formosa da Serra Negra, Fortaleza dos Nogueiras, Itinga do Maranhão, Campestre, Alto Parnaíba, Açailândia in south-central Maranhão; The name comes from […]
Carnival, a festival of ancient Catholic tradition originating in Europe, is held annually in the three days before Lent. Introduced in Brazil by the Portuguese colonizers, it was known as Entrudo in the first centuries of colonial life. During this period, games were played with limes and lemons, or throwing […]
The Cultural Aspects of the Northeast Region are well known for its strong and striking cultural aspect. The Northeast Region of the Brazilian territory is composed by the states of Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte and Sergipe. Its total area is 1,561,177km², similar to […]
The Northeast Region is the third largest region in Brazil and the largest in number of states, it has nine: Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte and Sergipe. Its total area is 1,561,177km², similar to the area of Mongolia. The region has 3,338km of beaches, […]
Brazilian literature was born mature, expressing itself in the language of the 17th century – the baroque – and this is due to a writer from the Northeast, Gregório de Mattos. Since Gregório de Mattos, the northeastern letters exhibit an extraordinary vigor. The northeast region also consecrated a cultural phenomenon, […]
Arquitetura Nordestina has baroque buildings erected by the sugar society mark the starting point of the long and diverse path taken by Northeastern architecture over five centuries. On the balconies of the sobrados of old São Salvador there are memories of maidens from the times of the emperor,” sang Dorival […]
The plastic arts in the northeast had external influences and information and help to build a genuinely Brazilian and local art – a process of appropriation and recreation that goes back to the colony. European artists who accompanied Maurício de Nassau during the occupation of Dutch Pernambuco (1630-54) are credited […]
It is impossible to think about the culture of Brazil without considering the music and rhythms of the Northeast, the themes and inventiveness of Northeast music – a mix of influences in which tradition and renewal coexist. In all of Brazil, the Northeast is the region that most zealously preserves […]
The history of the northeast begins with the discovery of Brazil and the northeast owes its birth and development around the sugar society Ground zero of Brazilian history was in the northeast, the history of the northeast owes its birth and development to the sugar mill. Today, while carrying nurcas […]
The Northeast is the Brazilian region that receives the most tourists, from the country and abroad. The reasons are obvious: any corner of its immense coastline is capable of adorning the pages of tourism supplements and magazines. Here you will find the elements of the archetypal tropical paradise – blue […]
Maranhão presents a rich ecosystem composed of mangroves, beaches, rivers, waterfalls and a tropical desert. It also has the encounter between the ancient and the modern that characterizes Maranhão. In Maranhão there is a mix of baroque tiles and space technology, centenary houses and state-of-the-art spikes, bumba-meu-boi and reggae. History […]
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