City guide article

Public Holidays

• Ano Novo (New Year’s Day): January 1st • Carnaval: Friday to Tuesday, preceding Ash Wednesday, February to March. • Paixao and Pascoa (Good Friday and Easter Sunday): dates vary, March/April • Tirandentes: April 21st • Dia do Trabalho (May Day/Labour Day): May 1st • Corpus Christi: 60 days after Easter, Sunday in May/June • Dia da Independencia (Independence Day): September 7th • Dia da Nossa Senhora de Aparecida (Day of our Lady of Aparecida): October 12th • Finados (All Soul’s Day): November 2nd • Proclamacao da Republica (Proclamation of the Republic Day): November 15th • Natal (Christmas Day): December 25th

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Rio de Janeiro Today

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Rio de Janeiro History

The city earned its name through the ignorance of Portuguese explorer and sailor, Gaspar de Lemos. He entered the huge bay (that would become known as ‘Baia de Guanabara’) in January 1502 and, thinking he’d sailed into a river, named the area Rio de Janeiro (January River). The Tamoio, natives of that area, were originally living there. The French became the first settlers of the area, establishing a colony in 1555. The Portuguese, wanting to keep their claim over the area, eventually kicked them out in 1567, despite the French alliance with the Tamoio who hated the Portuguese for their cruelty. The Portuguese stayed on, eventually expelling the Tamoio in a succession of devastating battles. Building their empire through sugar plantations and the slave trade; the Portuguese settlement would grow during the Minas Gerais gold rush of the 18th century. The result of this expansion was that the Tamoio tribe was wiped out, those not taken into slavery dying of disease or being sent to be ‘pacified’ by the Jesuits in settlement camps. By 1763 the population reached 50,000 people and Rio became the colonial capital of Brazil. By the time the 20th century began, with an economic surge in coffee and mass immigration from Europe, Rio had reached 800,000 residents. The 1920s to 1950s are considered to be Rio’s Golden Age, with the city becoming a romantic, exotic destination for international aristocrats. Brasilia would eventually take over as Brazil’s political capital in 1960 but Rio continues to be the cultural capital of the country. In 1992 it was chosen as the host of Eco, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.

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Visa Information

Requirements for a visa include your passport being valid for six months from date of issue, a passport photograph and your travel documents (or legitimate copies). If your don’t have travel documents then proof of financial support – such as credit cards and financial statements – are acceptable. The fee for a visa is reciprocal – usually between US$40 and US$60.

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Rio de Janeiro Residents

The country of Brazil is a melting pot of racial populations: 55% white, 6% black, 38% mixed and 1% other. Rio de Janeiro is no exception with Portuguese, Indian and African lineages also mixing things up along with the immigration of Italians, Spaniards, Germans and Japanese just to name a few. The Brazilian spirit seems to be a split personality at times, celebration life to full during Carnaval then drowning in nostalgic melancholy of saudade. However what is constant is kindness and patience, something that Brazilians have no shortage of. Residents of Rio are called ‘Cariocas’ and are one of the many Brazilian groups that make up the kind hearted yet complicated soul of the country. Cariocas welcome everyone to their city and it’s hard not get caught up in their free-spiritedness and sensuality. Having said that, Brazil has a reputation of having one of widest gaps of income between the rich and the poor and you won’t find that more obvious then in Rio. Dating as far back as the mid-19th century, mass immigration has given birth to favelas (urban slums) that surround major cities in Brazil. Dwellings are nothing more than a few boards put together and access to fresh water, sewage, schools and healthcare is almost non-existent. Crime is rampart in the favelas and drug lords control the streets.

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