brazilian
Folklore is the set of expressions and cultural manifestations that symbolizes popular culture and has great importance in the identity of a people. The term comes from the junction of the words of English origin: folk (people) + lore (culture, tradition). As defined by Oxford Languages, it means a "set of customs, legends, proverbs and artistic manifestations in general, preserved by a people or population group, through oral tradition; popular".
These manifestations are connected by general characteristics, such as, for example, being passed on from generation to generation, being able to absorb current facts without losing their particularities, having an anonymous origin, and being absorbed by popular culture, preferably orally; from the older elements of society to the younger ones. They, therefore, are part of traditional Brazilian culture, expressing an attitude adopted by several generations concerning a particular problem in society.
When we talk about Brazil, regionality also becomes a preponderant factor in national folklore. Its dimensions, its different types of vegetation and climates, and the arrival and influence of different peoples over time have determined different customs that can vary between neighborhoods, cities, and regions. Popular culture is influenced by the beliefs of the people in question and is formed thanks to contact between individuals from certain regions.
Many elements of folklore emerged from the various tribes that lived throughout the country before the arrival of Portuguese colonists. For example, legends about the emergence of foods such as açaí, cassava, and guaraná refer to indigenous stories.
Another characteristic of Brazilian folklore is its cultural plurality, often with the union of customs of different peoples. Slavery, which caused an African diaspora on the continent and the arrival of various European peoples, are events that changed the history of Brazil.
This miscegenation causes an even more heterogeneous scenario, with formations of new dances, different cuisines, stories of past generations that are crossed and highly changeable, and the construction of different cultural identities in the same territory.
The stories told represent customs or everyday situations seen as taboos, prohibitions, or fears of the time. Many of these folkloric legends and myths are born from the pure imagination of people, especially residents of the interior regions of Brazil. Many of these stories were created to deliver important messages or just to scare people. Many of them gave rise to popular festivals, which take place all over the country, such as the Bumba meu boi festival, June festival, among others.
The myths are narratives that have a strong symbolic component. As the peoples of antiquity could not explain the phenomena of nature, through scientific explanations, they created myths with this objective: to give meaning to the things of the world, often to mysterious or supernatural events. Myths also served as a way of passing on knowledge and warning people about dangers or defects and qualities of the human being. Gods, heroes, and supernatural characters, which are part of the fantastic world, mix with historical and real facts to give meaning to life and the world.
In Brazil, Folklore Day is celebrated on August 22. The date was created in 1965, to value and preserve national folklore.