Northern Culture:discover its wealth!

The culture of the Northern region of Brazil is vast, rich and heavily influenced by indigenous peoples, Europeans, and Africans, as well as migrants.

Because it is a region with a very mixed population, the North has a great diversity of cultural manifestations, that is, customs, beliefs, popular festivals, cuisine, dances, etc.

It is important to note that the region comprises the states:

Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins.

Parties of the North Region

The festivities of northern Brazil are strongly influenced by indigenous culture, as well as Christian religiosity.

See what they are and how some important regional festivals take place.

Candle of Nazareth

The procession that takes place in the state of Pará is a tribute to Our Lady of Nazareth and takes place in October.

Thousands of faithful walk kilometers on decorated streets carrying an image of Our Lady of Nazareth. The route is carried out from the Cathedral of Belém to the Praça Santuário de Nazaré, where the image stays for fifteen days.

In 2004, the Círio de Nazaré became part of the register of Cultural Heritage of Intangible Nature of the Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (Iphan).

Parintins Festival

The party, which takes place in June, in the state of Amazonas , takes place in a place called Bumbódromo . The festival consists of the dispute of two oxen, the Guaranteed (represented in red), and the Caprichoso (represented in blue).

The event lasts for three days and has some defined characters. There is also the regulation and judgment, which aims to define the best performance. In the end, the winner is known.

According to legend, a man (Father Francisco) would have killed his boss's best ox 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 comes back to life. To celebrate, a party is held.

Other Northern festivities

In addition to the above parties, the region still has the “Passion of Christ” staging. This event takes place in Jerusalem, the second largest scenic city in the world, located in the state of Amazonas.

Other festivals that are also typical of the Northern region of Brazil are:

• Revelry of Kings;
• Feast of the Divine;
• Congo or Congada;
• Cavalhada;
• June festivities.

Dances of the Northern Region

Chameleon

This dance has the participation of men and women, who dance to the sound of the guitar, cavaquinho and fiddle. The dancers dress up to perform the steps of this dance that is called journeys.

Blowtorch Dance

The sound of accordion, viola, guitar and fiddle rocks the couples in 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 well as in the dance of the region. Other types of northern dances are:

• destroyer;
• marambiré;
• lundu marajoara;
• marujada;
• Siri dance;
• Samba do Cetete;
• rumble;
• jacundá;
• carimbó.

Northern Regional Cuisine

The traditional cuisine of northern Brazil is rich in cassava and fish , inheritance of indigenous customs.
The variety of fruits existing in the region, in turn, stands out in national as well as international cuisine. Examples are guarana, the açaí, the cupuaçu and the graviola .

Typical dishes

Most of the typical dishes of the region are quite uncommon in the rest of the country. Trying them is therefore a special experience.

See some of these preparations:

Tucupi

Tucupi is a cassava-based recipe that is very common in the state of Pará.

Maniçoba

This is a recipe made with the crushed cassava leaf, but it resembles a feijoada, that's why it became known as "feijoada without beans".

Tacacá

Tacacá is the name of the typical northern dish made with manioc, shrimp and tucupi broth.

Among the vast northern cuisine, also stands out:

• boiled;
• gurijuba;
• Arapaima and dried shrimp;
• cassava gum;
• jambu;
• scented pepper;
• biju;
• cassava cake;
• Brazil nut;
• carne de sol.

Crafts from the North Region

Handicrafts were also heavily influenced by indigenous culture.

Objects made from clay, ceramics, leather, wood, soapstone and seeds are part of northern handicrafts, which shape jewelry, decorative items, among others.

The marajoara ceramic it is an example of important handicraft in the region. Initiated by the Indians of Marajó Island, it was the first ceramic art to appear in Brazil. Currently she is also known abroad.

Regional legends and myths of the North

The region has some folkloric stories typical of the place. Check out some:

Legend of the Boto

The legend of the boto tells the story of a boto that during the night turns into a man.

He dresses in white and wears a hat to hide his big dolphin nose.

He seduces women for a ride and impregnates them. This legend is told to justify the fact that some single girl appears pregnant.

Legend of the water lily

According to the 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 bent down to kiss him, which made her fall and drown.

Moved by the event, Jaci transformed the young woman into a flower - the Victoria Regia.

Folklore Quiz

Also read:

• Círio de Nazaré
• Legends of the North Region
• Bumba my ox
• Southeast Culture