Brazilian Festivals and Celebrations

• Reveillon/New Year's Celebration (Salvador):

  Close to a million people gather for one of the most spectacular New Year's celebrations in the world. It starts on the evening of December 31 and continues well into the morning of January 1. The main event takes place at the Lighthouse in Barra -- live music, fireworks, and the muted Candomblé religious ceremonies.

• Celebration of Yemanjá, the Goddess of the Sea (Salvador):

  On February 2, watch the devotees throughout Brazil offer flowers, perfumes, and jewelry to the sea. Celebrated on the beach with music and food. The largest celebration takes place in Salvador on Praia Vermelha.

• Washing of the Steps of Bonfim Church (Salvador):

  One of the most important religious ceremonies in Salvador takes place on the third Thursday of January when hundreds of women in traditional Bahian dress form a procession and carry perfumed water to wash the church steps; 800,000 onlookers and revelers accompany them.

• São Paulo Bienal (São Paulo):

  A must-see for lovers of art, theater, music, and architecture, the Bienal is the biggest arts event in Latin America. It takes place every even year in Ibirapuera Park. The next is scheduled for this year, 2006.

Basic Portuguese

Even the basic verb to be can be difficult for someone learning Portuguese since there are two forms of the verb in Portuguese. But, the biggest problem you will probably have is the notion of masculine and feminine nouns. 'It' unfortunately does not exist in Portuguese. People, things and animals are either 'ele' or 'ela'.

Ser or Estar?

Even the most basic of verbs to be, can cause considerable difficulties for those beginning to learn the Portuguese language. This is because there are two forms of the verb to be in Portuguese - ser, which describes a permanent state and estar which describes a temporary state. Learn off the simple tense for each verb and take a look at the examples below.

Simple Present

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