September 7^th marks the celebration of Brazil’s Independence Day!

As usual, we took the opportunity to celebrate with the entire Nobel team and we joined forces in wishing a happy and joyful day to our wonderful team members from Brazil. We also learned new fun facts about this beautiful country and feasted our eyes on amazing photography from Brazil.

Did you know that?

• Following more than three centuries under Portuguese rule, Brazil gained its independence in 1822, maintaining a monarchical system of government until the abolition of slavery in 1888 and the subsequent proclamation of a republic by the military in 1889.
• “Independência ou morte!” / “Independence or death!” became a historic landmark of the country from then on.
• Brazil separated from the colonies of Portugal and started a new cultural, sociological and historical period as an independent country.
• Independence celebrations in Brazil take place mainly in the large cities and are marked by demonstration of the Brazilian Army walking in the streets. In the capital, Brasília, parades are held by members of the Armed Forces (Navy, Army and Air Force), as well as parades by bands and even veterans of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force, which fought in World War II.
• The green background in the Brazilian flag represents the rainforest. The yellow rectangle in the middle symbolizes the mineral resources in the country, especially in gold. On the circle, the dark blue color represents the sky and the stars represent the provinces.
• Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art. It was created by the African people who were captured by the Portuguese and brought to Brazil to be slaves in the 1500s. They disguised the martial art and fighting techniques as a folk dance and when the slave masters were not looking they would practice the self-defense aspect.
• Samba, also known as samba urbano carioca or simply samba carioca is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century.
• The term forró refers to a musical genre, a rhythm, a dance and the event itself where forró music is played and danced. Forró is an important part of the culture of the Northeastern Region of Brazil.
• Brazil offers to visitors lovely natural landscapes and warm temperatures all around the seasons of the year, making it a perfect vacation destination when it’s winter in your country.
• Some of the most beautiful beaches and islands can be found in Brazil, in Capitólio, Maragogi, Lençóis Maranhenses, Santo Aleixo or Ilha Grande.
• When relaxing on a Brazilian beach, you can enjoy the traditional drink called caipirinha, a cocktail made with cachaça (a distilled spirit made from fermented sugarcane juice), sugar, and lime.
• Brazil produces about a third of the world’s coffee, making the country by far the world’s largest producer.
• In terms of food, feijoada is considered to be the country’s national dish. This is a stew made of black beans with beef and pork, prepared over low heat in a thick clay pot.
• Brigadeiro is a traditional Brazilian dessert. A brigadeiro is generally shaped into small balls covered in chocolate sprinkles and placed in a small cupcake liner. It is made of condensed milk, cocoa powder, butter, and the aforementioned chocolate sprinkles.
• People most often associate Brazil with Carnivals since the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is the biggest carnival in the world. The first Carnival festival in Rio occurred in 1723! The typical Rio carnival parade is filled with revelers, floats, and adornments from numerous samba schools which are located in Rio (more than 200, divided into five leagues/divisions).
  
  

Special thanks to our Nobel Country Ambassador Mhammad Alhajj who was kind enough to share with the team some interesting facts about Brazil!