The Influence Of Religion In Brazil

Brazil is a land where music and dance flows in the mind and body of it’s people

The people of Brazil gained independence from Portugal on September 7, 1822, and became known as the Federative Republic of Brazil. With European, African, and Indigenous peoples influences, Brazil has become a melting pot of ethnicities, religions, and cultures. It is made up of 26 states and has a total population of 205,823,665 people. The two largest ethnic groups are White at 47.7 percent and mulatto (mixed white and black) at 43.1 percent of the population. Most of the population lives on the east coast, specifically the cities of Sao Paulo, Brasilia, and Rio de Janeiro, and they live under a federal presidential republic government. The official language of Brazil is Portuguese, but there are less common languages spoken such as Spanish, English, German, Italian, and other Amerindian languages. The average age is 31.6 years old, and the gender ratio is relatively equal throughout each age group. The birth rate is 14.3-births/1,000 population, and the death rate is 6.6 deaths/1,000 population. These statistics produce a population growth rate of 0.75%. Surprisingly, 90% of the population has some religious association. There are many different religions in Brazil, but the two largest religious groups are Roman Catholics that make up 64.6% and Protestant that make up 22.2%. Other religions consist of Judaism, Buddism, and Jehovah Witnesses (cia.gov, 2016).

Brazil borders every nation except Chile and Ecuador. Brazil is divided into Brazilian Highlands, or plateau, in the South American River Basin in the North. Brazil has rainforests, rivers, grasslands, and beaches. Brazil has more people and land than any other place in South America. Over a third of Brazil is covered by the Amazon and it’s over 200 tributaries. There are many rivers in Brazil. One major river is the Amazon River and it’s actually the second largest river in the world. The Amazon River is anywhere between 6,259 km / 3,903 mi and 6,712 km/ 4,195 mi long. The Amazon River supplies 20 percent of all the water that the world’s rivers pour into the ocean. Brazil also has rainforests. The largest rainforest is located in Brazil itself and that is the Amazon Rainforest. It has more than 1.2 billion acres in size. In matter of fact the rainforest is located

Most of the northern part of Brazil is low-lying and veined by the mighty Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon is the largest river in the world. The native peoples of Brazil lived in the forests and along the rivers, hunting, fishing, and gathering fruits and nuts. When the Portuguese arrived early in the 16th century, it is estimated that there were between 1 and 2 million

Simultaneously as the Brazilian military took power and control of the country after the Estado Novo era, the Church was going through its own changes. By the 1950s the Church and the military began to speak

This is a traditional Brazil religion practiced by the Africans communities living there . The dance was performed to appease their gods. It is done in traditional styles derived from the Yoruba and Bantu traditions. The songs and dances were developed by African priests who were traded as slaves. The priests had strong African beliefs and had gained great experience on the task thus they could easily influence more followers. The religion had no formal scripture and the priests used the word of mouth to pass their message to their congregations. The believers were followers of a god by the name Oludumaré who they asserted was their creator. The oludumare has his servants called the Orishas. The Orishas are in every person and every Orisha is assigned an individual to offer protection. The believers organize a number of ceremonies each year to commemorate some important events. In the ceremonies, Candomblé songs fill the air. The believers also offer offerings to their

Much like the U.S., Brazilian culture is extremely diverse. Brazil’s current population of 190 million represents various nationalities from European to African (Country Facts). Brazil has an extremely diverse culture with some common pervasive threads that grouped together give Brazil a national identity.

Although minority, indigenous rituals contributes for the syncretism in Latin America religions. When the European came to Latin America, indigenous tribes was decreased due to diseases brought in by then. The church then worked hard to disseminated catholicism by preaching to the natives and converting then into catholics.

Brazil, located in South America, is the fifth largest country for both for the land size and the population. With a country taking up almost half of a continent, the 200 million people only occupy about ten percent of the entire country. Twenty-two percent of the population is under the age of 15.9 There are three main cities; the first is the capital Brasilia, with a population of over two million. The other two cities are San Paulo and Rio de Janeiro; accounting for over 15 million of the people. Throughout Brazil, a majority of the population speaks Portuguese and are generally Christian-based, following the Catholic faith. The currency is called the Brazilian Real (BRL). The BRL is equivalent to about $0.3 United States dollar.

Religion can be explained as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs (n.d.). Christianity is most popular religion in America and in the world with over 2.1 billion adheres. It is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ who lives in the Holy Land 2,000 years ago. Hinduism is the religion of the majority of people in India and Nepal. It also exists among significant populations outside of the sub continent and has over 900 million adherents worldwide.

Brazil is located in South America which is located next to Bolivia and Venezuela. On the map, the coordinates are 50 West and 10 South. Brazil is the second largest county in South America and the fifth largest country in the world. The population in Brazil is 202,033,670 people. The official language spoken in Brazil in Portuguese and the capital is Brasilia. Money in Brazil has changed many times due to high inflation rates. The official currency of Brazil is the Real. Examples of bills used are: $1, $2, $5, and $20. Examples of coins used are: 1 cent, 5 cents, and 10 cents. The climate in Brazil is

At the time of the discovery of the New World, the Church was the dominant religion in Europe. However, Europe was still connected to paganism, and citizens were still somewhat comfortable with the ideas of magic and monsters. People would turn to magic in times of difficulty in an attempt to ease their suffering, or prolong a time of fortune. Souza states that “divinations, magical cures, and superstitious blessings were an attempt to respond to the needs and events of daily life, making things a little easier at a time of frequent hardships” (112). In Brazil, this tendency to believe in magic was amplified by the mix of African, European, and Brazilian beliefs, and the lifestyles of the colonial populations. This created a mixed bag of Catholic identities, which, along with the continuing hope that the indigenous would conform, lead to a form of Catholic religion in Brazil that was somewhat tolerant of demons and

Brazil is located in South America. It comprises half the area of South America and has a total surface area of 3,287,612 square miles. Brazil borders with all other South American countries except Chile and Ecuador. Brazil is as large as the United States but with an extra Texas thrown in it. Brazil has no great lakes, but it does have the Amazon, which is the largest river in the world in the volume of water and are drained (Hunnicutt, 1949).

Stretching over 2,500 miles form east to west and 2,700 miles from north to south, Brazil is the world’s largest tropical country. The only nations that are larger are the lands of Russia, Canada, China and the United States. Brazil has more then 150 million people spread unevenly over its huge land area, making it the fifth most populated country in the world. (Encyclopedia.com) More then two thirds of Brazil’s people live in the cities and towns and more then 29 percent of them are in the ten cities with more then a million people. These include the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo with more then 15 million people and Rio de Janeiro with more then 9 million people. The rural population is mostly concentrated on the East Coast or

Portuguese is not only a culture, but it is also a language and a nationality. Portuguese people originate from the country of Portugal in Europe, however, due to Portugal (like many other countries in Europe) exploring the world and conquering other countries during the 15th – 20th centuries, South Africa has what we call Portuguese South African’s living in it. Portuguese people are true blue-blood Christians and most follow the Roman Catholic faith.