The culture of the northern region of Brazil is vast, rich and heavily influenced by indigenous, European, and African, as well as migrants.
As a region with a highly mixed population, the North has a great diversity of cultural manifestations, namely, customs, beliefs, popular festivals, cuisine, dances, and so on.
It is important to highlight that the region comprises the states:
Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins.
Northern Region Festivals
The festivities in northern Brazil are strongly influenced by indigenous culture, as well as Christian religiosity.
See what some important regional festivals are and how they happen.
Nazare's Cirio
The procession that takes place in the state of For is a tribute to Our Lady of Nazareth and takes place in October.
Thousands of faithful walk for miles on decorated streets carrying an image of Our Lady of Nazareth. The route takes place from the Cathedral of Belém to the Praça Santuário de Nazaré, where the image remains for fifteen days.
In 2004, the Círio de Nazaré became part of the register of Cultural Heritage of Intangible Nature of the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (Iphan).
Festival of Parintins
The party, which takes place in June, in the state of Amazons, happens in a place called Bumbodrome. The festival consists of a dispute between two oxen, the Guaranteed (represented in red), and the capricious (depicted in blue).
The event lasts for three days and has some defined characters. There is also the regulation and judgment, which aim to define the best performance. In the end, the winning ox is known.
According to legend, a man (Father Francisco) would have killed the best ox of the boss in order to satisfy the desire of his wife (Mãe Catirina), who was pregnant and wanted to eat the animal's tongue.
Upon discovering the reason for the death of his favorite animal, the boss called a priest and a shaman to revive the ox, which came back to life. To celebrate, a party is held.
Other Northern Festivities
In addition to the above parties, the region also has the staging of the “Passion of Christ”. This event takes place in Jerusalem, the second largest scenic city in the world, located in the state of Amazonas.
Other parties that are also typical of the North region of Brazil are:
- Kings' Folia;
- Feast of the Divine;
- Congo or Congo;
- Cavalcade;
- June parties.
Northern Region Dances
chameleon
This dance has the participation of men and women, who dance to the sound of the guitar, the cavaquinho and the fiddle. Dancers dress up to perform the steps of this dance that is called journeys.
torch dance
The sound of accordion, viola, guitar and fiddle lulls the pairs into this dance made with slow and light steps. A similar dance is the umbigada, of Afro-Brazilian origin.
Other regional dances from the North
The state is quite large in terms of territory and has diversity in all cultural aspects, as is the dance of the region. Other types of northern dances are:
- dish washer;
- marambire;
- lundu marajoara;
- sailor;
- siria dance;
- club samba;
- rumble;
- jacundá;
- stamp.
Northern regional cuisine
The traditional cuisine of northern Brazil is rich in cassava and fish, heritage of indigenous customs.
The variety of fruits existing in the region, in turn, stands out in national as well as international cuisine. Examples are the guarana, O açaí, O cupuacu and the soursop.
typical dishes
Most of the typical dishes from the region are quite uncommon in the rest of the country. Experiencing them is therefore a special experience.
Here are some of these preparations:
tucupi
Tucupi is a recipe made from cassava and very common in the state of Pará.
maniçoba
This is a recipe made with crushed cassava leaf, but it resembles a feijoada, which is why it became known as "bean-free feijoada".
tacacá
Tacacá is the name of the typical northern dish made with manioc broth, shrimp and tucupi.
Among the vast northern cuisine, it also stands out:
- Stew;
- gurijuba;
- Casaca pirarucu and dried shrimp;
- cassava gum;
- jambu;
- smelling pepper;
- biju;
- Manioc cake;
- Brazil nuts;
- Sun dried meat.
Take the opportunity to get to know theLegend of Cassava.
North Region Crafts
Crafts were also heavily influenced by indigenous culture.
Part of northern craftsmanship is objects made from clay, ceramics, leather, wood, soapstone and seeds, which shape jewelry, decorative items, among others.
THE Marajoara pottery is an example of important crafts in the region. Initiated by the Indians of the Ilha de Marajó, it was the first ceramic art that emerged in Brazil. Currently she is also known abroad.
Northern regional legends and myths
The region has some folk stories typical of the place. Check out some:
Legend of the Dolphin
THE legend of the boto tells the story of a boto that transforms into a man during the night.
He dresses in white and wears a hat to hide his big porpoise nose.
He seduces women for a walk and makes them pregnant. This legend is told to justify the fact that some single girl turns up pregnant.
Legend of Victoria Regia
According to legend of Vitória-Régia, it is a plant that originally would have been an Indian.
It is said that this Indian fell in love with the moon - called Jaci by the Indians. Seeing the reflection of the moon in the waters of the river, the Indian woman bent down to kiss him, which made her fall and drown.
Moved by the event, Jaci transformed the girl into a flower - Vitória-Regia.
Discover other myths and legends of Brazilian folklore:
- bogeyman
- Boitatá
- Caipora
- big snake
- Curupira
- Iara
- Werewolf
- Headless mule
- Saci-Pererê
- Jurupari
- Açaí legend
Folklore Quiz
To learn more about the regions of Brazil, don't miss the texts below.
- Cultural diversity in Brazil
- Southeast culture
- Midwest Culture
- Southern culture
- North region
