Domingo.

Oi! Tudo bem? That’s the most common greeting, in Brazil. “Hi! Is it everything fine?” I hope you’re fine. I know, I know, my initial plans were posting something new every day, but weekends are the opportunities I have to be with my family and friends and do the housework, dedicate myself to my hobbies, etc. Yesterday, an e-pal asked me how do I find time to dedicate myself to all my hobbies and interests. People generally get impressed, because I’m into many things, some related to each other, some completely different from each other. Honestly, I don’t have an explanation for it, but I’m able to do many things in only one day, sometimes simultaneously. Maybe I am a mutant . I would love to be Storm (X-Men)! But I believe I’m just a girl, who has a lot of energy and needs to spend it! Maybe (probably) it won’t be possible to me to write a new post every single day. It’s a creative work. All my posts are written by me and some of them demand some researches. By the way, if you want to share my posts with someone, feel free to do it, but, please, give me the credits, mention the author and the blog! Little by little, I’ll make the things easier for the ones who want to share the content of my blog. As I told you before, this blog is permanentely under construction and I’ll do my best to make it better and better!

Yesterday I not even got close to my laptop! I spent hours cleaning and organizing my studio and bedroom, knitted for some hours (yes, I knit! This is an activity related to old women, grannies, in Brazil. I am not a granny! I’m not even a mother! But, a couple of years ago, a group of young women started to knit, in São Paulo and knitting became “cool”! Some artists and women in general make pompons, knit scarves and accessories and spread them all over the city. It doesn’t happen often and the Brazilian artistic interventions are still very discrete. Well, I’m talking about São Paulo. Unfortunately, the most of people here are still very narrow minded when it comes to art. They see art as a waste of time and some people even think that art “pollutes” the city! Yes, of course I pity them. Anyways, I think the artists must be braver and keep doing their artistic interventions no matter how people will react (real artists don’t care)! I love to see colorful artworks in São Paulo! The city is so grey, full of buildings! Pompons and knitted accessories add life and joy to the city! I still don’t know if I’ll spread some knitted accessories around the town, but, of course I’ll let you know! ). And we had a party, to celebrate my brother’s birthday. When I say “party”, it doesn’t mean that we played loud music all night long and got drunk. I live in an apartment and this type of party, here, is forbidden. Then, maybe me, my brother and friends are a little old for this type of experience …We just had a good time, as ever. I baked a Brazilian cake (I’ll talk about it later).

It’s Sunday, today, a day dedicated to the Sun , in many cultures, right?! It makes sense in São Paulo, today. It’s a sunny day, +27C. But, our “domingo” has nothing to do with the Sun. I’m not in a “wiki mood” today, so, won’t give you detailed informations about the meaning of the word “domingo” (sorry!), but it probably comes from Latin, since Portuguese is a Latin language. I was thinking about what to post today and this question came to my mind: “What does Sunday mean to us, Brazilians?” Well, well, first of all, we don’t live in a monolithic world (Did you like this word, “monolithic”? When you are graduated in Humanities, it’s hard to escape from words like this … ), where all of us live the same experiences. If you don’t know what am I talking about, take a look at the previous post! So, I’ll talk about a type of “middle-class experience from São Paulo”. The most of us don’t work on Sundays. And don’t travel every single weekend, because we are not rich. When we travel, it generally rains …*lol* Actually, it rains on Summer, almost every day, so … In the beginning of our History, the official Brazilian religion was Catholicism (nowadays, Brazil is a secular state, even if the most of our politicians don’t respect it). The masses happened on Sunday, so, people used to go to the church. Some Catholic people still do it, I guess, but this is not a tradition, anymore. I don’t know people who go to the church on Sundays! So, the most of us, stay at home. People used to eat macaroni on Sundays. With chicken. We still have this tradition, in Brazil. And many people buy roasted chicken at bakeries. It’s more than a tradition, it’s a classic: “frango de padaria” (bakery chicken)! Some bakeries have a big oven, on the sidewalk. They sell chicken and, sometimes, “farofa”. And a lot of people buy it, it’s a huge success, especially on Sundays! As I told you before, I’m a vegetarian, so, I don’t participate in this tradition anymore.

Some people go out, on Sundays, and nowadays shoppings centers, stores, movies, theaters and even libraries are open on Sundays. But, it’s traditionally a day to stay at home. Watching TV. By the way, there’s something about me you still don’t know (unless you are a friend): I don’t have a TV! Me and my bro are planning to buy one (how will I play Nintendo Wii without one?), but we are not TV people at all! … Yes, I know, you are probably shocked, but don’t worry! Things will get worse … *LOL* I am an internet girl. My brother and friends are trying to convince me to watch “The Walking Dead” with them, but you will never see me talking about tv series. Or soap operas. They are a huge phenomenon in Brazil!

There are thousands of Brazilians connected to internet (you probably have already noticed that), but the TV still rules this country. And I really mean that! It’s scary how important the television is, in Brazil! Soap operas, football matches and game shows are a fever, here! And we have one Sunday legend, in Brazil, the master of the television, the man, the myth: Sílvio Santos!

Sílvio Santos vem aí …

Yes, “here comes Sílvio Santos”! His real name is Senor Abravanel and he was born in December 12, 1930. He owns a TV channel (Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão – SBT) and is also a business man. Yeah, kids, he has a lot of money! And his fame in Brazil is something beyond the human understanding. Everybody knows him! I grew up watching his game shows (there was a TV in my home, back then …). There are many legends (and true stories, of course) surrounding him. History researchers say that he supported the military dictatorship in Brazil, for instance. But, at least for now, I’m not here to judge him, even if I am politicized and completely against every type of dictatorship. No one can deny the importance of Sílvio Santos, in Brazil. He’s part of our culture! His charisma is amazing and he knows how to make money. Maybe he’s not the best person of this planet, but as an entertainer, he’s perfect! Here’s the man:

Link of the image: http://i0.ig.com/fw/5a/1q/2g/5a1q2grpje8pw2tfktp0jor5f.jpg

He’s a game show host for years (remember that I grew up watching his game shows and I’m not a baby!) and his game show on Sunday lasts hours. I said HOURS! So, many people spends almost the whole Sunday watching his game show. He’s not the only host, but is the main one. His way to speak and behave is very unique (and funny) and many people imitate him. Even me, my brother and friends speak like Sílvio Santos sometimes, to joke!

I could be here for months talking about him, but this is a brief introduction! Sílvio Santos is a legend of the Brazilian television and there’s everything in his game shows: contests, pranks, competitions between artists, quiz shows, etc.! He’s certainly a Brazilian pop culture icon! Maybe Andy Warhol would paint his portrait! …

La la la la … Agora é hora de alegria Vamos sorrir e cantar Do mundo não se leva nada Vamos sorrir e cantar La la la la … Sílvio Santos vem aí Sílvio Santos vem aí …

La la la la … Now it’s time for joy Let’s smile and sing We don’t take anything from this world Let’s smile and sing La la la la … Here comes Sílvio Santos Here comes Sílvio Santos

This is more than a song! This is a Sunday anthem! If you want to do something different and add a little bit of Brazilian culture to your life, sing this song every Sunday! You’ll feel better and all your problems and concerns will disappear! *LOL*

This YouTube video is a compilation of several scenes and moments, but you can have an idea of the game show! (Yes, this is cheesy, but you have cheesy things in your country too! )

I’ll end this post with other song, called “Domingo”, from one of the most famous Brazilian rock bands of the 80’s, “Titãs” (Titans). They are from São Paulo, rock legends! Enjoy!

Here you can find the lyrics, in Portuguese:

http://letras.mus.br/titas/48966/

But, sorry, I won’t translate them! Maybe Google translator can help you. It’s an easy lyrics and if you read carefully this post, you’ll understand it. Now, I’ll take a rest. Sundays were meant to be rest days. With macaroni and Sílvio Santos!

Today is also a special day for our culture: Dia de Reis (Epiphany), but I’ll write a post about it tomorrow! Thanks for your visit, stay tuned, other posts will come!

All the best!

Luna