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 […]
Northeastern culture
The Northeastern culture is composed of the states of Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte and Sergipe and presents great cultural plurality, such as art, architecture, literature, geography, music and cuisine.
The Northeastern culture is quite diverse, since it was influenced by indigenous, African and European people. Customs and traditions often vary from state to state.
As the first region to be effectively colonised by the Portuguese in the 16th century, who encountered the native populations and were accompanied by Africans brought as slaves, the culture of the Northeast is very particular and typical, although extremely varied. It is based on Luso-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.
The cultural richness of the northeast region is visible beyond its folkloric and popular manifestations.
Northeastern literature has made a great contribution to the Brazilian literary scene, with names such as João Cabral de Melo Neto, José de Alencar, Jorge Amado, Nelson Rodrigues, Rachel de Queiroz, Gregório de Matos, Clarice Lispector, Graciliano Ramos, Ferreira Gullar and Manuel Bandeira, among many others.
In literature, one can mention the popular literature of cordel, which dates back to the colonial period (cordel literature came with the Portuguese and has its origins in the European Middle Ages) and numerous artistic manifestations of a popular nature that are manifested orally, such as the singers of repentes and embolada.
In classical music, composers Alberto Nepomuceno and Paurillo Barroso stand out, as does Liduíno Pitombeira from Ceará today, and Eleazar de Carvalho as a conductor. Northeastern rhythms and melodies have also inspired composers such as Heitor Villa-Lobos (whose Bachiana brasileira No. 5, for example, in its second part – Dança do Martelo – alludes to the Cariri hinterland).
In popular music in Northeastern culture, rhythms such as coco, xaxado, hammer agalopado, samba de roda, baião, xote, forró, Axé and frevo stand out, among other rhythms. The Armorial movement in Recife, inspired by Ariano Suassuna, did a scholarly job of valorising this popular rhythmic heritage of the Northeast (one of its best-known exponents is the singer Antônio Nóbrega).
In the dance of Northeastern culture, the maracatu, practised in various parts of the Northeast, the frevo (characteristic of Pernambuco), the bumba-meu-boi, the xaxado, various variants of the forró, the tambor-de-crioula (characteristic of Maranhão), etc. stand out. Folk songs are almost always accompanied by dances.
Handicrafts are also an important part of the culture of the Northeast and are the livelihood of thousands of people throughout the region. Due to the regional variety of handicraft traditions, it is difficult to characterise all of them, but the following stand out: woven hammocks and sometimes embroidered with many details; products made of clay, wood (for example, from the carnauba tree typical of the sertão) and leather, with very particular traits; and lace, which has gained prominence in Ceará handicrafts. Another highlight is the bottles with images made by hand in coloured sand, an item produced for sale to tourists. In Maranhão, handicrafts made from buriti fibre (palm tree) stand out, as well as handicrafts and products from babaçu (palm tree native to Maranhão).
History and evolution of the Trio Elétrico
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 […]
Biografia de Jorge Amado
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 the Vale das Águas and has paradisiacal scenery
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. […]
Tourist attractions and waterfalls of Chapada das Mesas
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 […]
History of Carnival in Northeast Brazil
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 […]
Cultural Aspects of the Northeast Region of Brazil
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 […]
Geography and Climatic Regions of the Brazilian Northeast
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, […]
History and origin of Northeastern literature and biography of the main authors
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, […]
Northeastern architecture marked by typical features of colonial structures
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 […]
Fine Arts in the Brazilian Northeast
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 […]
Cuisine of Northeast Brazil
Adding European, African and indigenous influences to an extraordinary abundance of spices and ingredients, the northeastern table offers immense surprises to the palate. The menu of Northeastern cuisine and cuisine present on the tables of the various states of Northeastern Brazil is abundant and varied. The fruits of the land […]
Music and Rhythms of the Brazilian Northeast
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 […]
History of the Brazilian Northeast
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 […]
Why go to the Brazilian Northeast?
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 […]