Brazilian wedding customs involve traditional gender roles and rituals. The ceremonies are usually Catholic-influenced. Verbal rituals include opening prayers in Portuguese. Nonverbal rituals include the bride placing her gold shoes on the dance floor for guests to leave money as gifts. Formal attire typically involves the groom and groomsmen wearing suits with small Brazilian flags, while informal attire may include short, bright dresses for outdoor settings. Overall, the customs showcase Brazil's rich culture.

1. (“Rio,”2011)
Brazilian Wedding
Customs
(Matos, 2011)
(2010). Map of brazil.

2. This presentation about Brazilian culture, as
demonstrated in Brazilian wedding customs,
is brought to you on 18 November 2011 by:
Gender Roles
Kristeena Andrews
Rituals
Abbe Brekke – Nonverbal
Angela Goodrum – Verbal
Nonverbal Use of Clothing in Rituals
Natalya Akinsheva – Non-formal
Scott White – Formal
Slides/Reference Page/Questions
Saylor Bennett

3. The purpose of our
presentation is to
expose you to the rich
culture that is Brazil.
As we share with you
the lovely traditions
and rituals of Brazilian
weddings our hope is
that you will come to
have a greater
understanding of the
depth and diversity
that is Brazil.

4. “A utopia está lá no
horizonte.
Me aproximo dois passos,
ela se afasta dois passos.
Caminho dez passos e o
horizonte corre dez passos. "Utopia is there on the horizon.
Por mais que eu caminhe, I approach two steps, two steps
jamais alcançarei. away from it.
Para que serve a utopia? Path horizon runs ten steps
Serve para isso: para que eu and ten steps.
não deixe de caminhar.” As much as I walk, never
overtake.
Eduardo Galeano What is utopia?
Fits this: that I do not stop
walking. "
Eduardo Galeano
Portuguese is the national language of Brazil. As this beautiful Portuguese poem
demonstrates it is a language as lovely and deep as the
culture it represents.

5. Gender Roles in Brazilian Culture

6. Self-Awareness & Communication: Gender
“Our book offers the
broad definition of
gender as a cultural
construction that
contains psychological
characteristics but also
includes your sex,
your attitudes about
appropriate behavior for
the sexes in society, and
your sexual orientation .”
(Beebe, 2011, p. 40-41)

7. Even before courtship
begins, gender roles in
Brazil are very prominent
and much more traditional
then the United States. It
is the man who typically
first expresses interest in
the woman. If a woman
sees a man that interests
her she will send someone
to convey her interest
rather than show direct
interest herself. The man
would be the one to ask
the woman out on a date
and he would never expect
the woman to pay.
(Floriano, 2001)

8. In very traditional homes, a potential
suitor would ask for the father’s permission to
pursue a relationship with his daughter.
In the tradition of Bumba-Meau-Boi, a potential groom
demonstrates his “suitability as a husband” by
taming an unbridled donkey for her father.
(Starr, 2011) ("Brazilian wedding customs," 2011)

9. In the Brazilian culture
women take a very
traditional role. The
majority do not work
outside the home and
are expected to handle
most of the cooking
and cleaning. It would
be very inappropriate
for a woman to ask a
man out on a date and
scandalous as well as
possibly hazardous for
a woman to go to a
bar alone.
(Alvarez, Brown, Burdick, Costa, Cowell, DaMatta & Eakin, 2009)

10. Brazilian Wedding Rituals

11. Religious
Beliefs
Brazil is the largest
Catholic country in the
world. Many Brazilians
follow Catholic
traditions even if they
do not consider
themselves Catholic.
Therefore, the
ceremonies are very
traditional and similar
to that of weddings
you would see in the
United States.
("Brazilian wedding traditions," 2011) ("Brazilian wedding customs," 2011)

12. Verbal Rituals
It is a ritual for Brazilian celebrations to be opened with a prayer
asking God for his guidance and his presence to watch over the
meaning of the ceremony. One attending a Brazilian wedding
ceremony will experience the ritual of an opening prayer in
Portuguese, hearing the prayer in the language whether or not you
understand it shows the efforts of keeping the traditions practiced
and culture alive. Hearing the prayer in Portuguese gives a listener
the opportunity to experience a ritual as their ancestors did in native
tongue. Although some may not understand Portuguese, the
importance of the prayer to the Brazilian culture and their efforts to
keep their rituals in practice is conveyed. Hearing the sounds of the
words as their ancestors did signifies and attaches the meaning and
importance of this ritual. Often, the prayer will be followed by a
Brazilian song or the Brazilian National Anthem.
(Jefferson , 2011) (Alexander, 2010)

13. Opening Prayer
This ceremony represents something very serious between man and woman. The meaning of
matrimony is serious because it was constituted by God. God saw that man could not live
without woman and God united man with woman so the two of them can give providence to life.
Let us pray to God for his guidance during the ceremony.
Reference is given to the book of Genesis chapter 2

14. Nuptials
The exchanging of nuptials
is performed traditionally.
The priest begins the
nuptials by asking if both
parties have come of
their own free will to join
in marriage. This signifies
their intent and purpose.
Both parties say “I do”,
and by doing so, they
acknowledge before God,
family, and friends their
intentions.
(Smith, 2011)

15. Nonverbal Rituals
During the reception, the bride will place her traditional gold shoes in the center of the
dance floor. The guests will place money for the newlyweds in them as a gift. Alternately, the
groomsman will cut off pieces of the grooms tie to sell for couple.
("Brazilian wedding traditions," 2011).

16. Familiar
Traditions
According to tradition, the
bride must have something
old, something new and
something borrowed.
The bridal couple is
accompanied to the alter
by the groomsmen and
bridesmaids, usually
three of each.
The ceremony is sealed
with a kiss announcing the
union.
("Brazilian wedding traditions," 2011)

17. Keeping with tradition, the groom will carry his bride over the threshold,
starting with his right foot. This gets the marriage off to a blessed start.
("Brazilian wedding traditions," 2011)

18. Clothing as Nonverbal
Communication

19. Codes of Nonverbal Communication: Appearance
(Matos, 2011)
“Many cultures
around the world
place a high value
on appearance-body
size and shape, skin
color and texture,
hairstyle, and
clothing.”
(Beebe, 2011, p. 95)

20. Nonverbal Communication:
Brazilian Formal Wedding Attire
In the Brazilian culture, men routinely where a small Brazilian flag in place
of a boutonniere on their suit jacket. This sense of cultural pride is
displayed by the groom and groomsmen.
(Wedding customs, 2011).

21. Brazilian Formal Wedding
Attire
The Brazilian groom and groomsmen typically
dress in formal wear since tuxedos and
matching suits can be difficult to find.
Similarly, bridesmaids dresses that match are
hard to find. Often for a very formal occasion,
all of the clothing, including the brides’ dress,
are rented.
(Wedding customs, 2011).

22. Nonverbal Communication:
Brazilian Informal Wedding Attire

23. Brazilian Informal Wedding Attire
Since Brazilian weddings are heavily influenced by
western traditions, it is not uncommon to see
weddings that are hip and chic, with beach and
outdoor type themes. Of course, these would be a
much more relaxed environment and the attire
would convey that. The brides dress is usually a
lighter material and often short. The groom would
generally were either a casual suit or a
loose cotton tunic and slacks.
(Mahanoor, 2011)

24. Short Wedding Dresses
During the summer, women commonly choose to wear short dresses for
their weddings. These are often bright or pastel colors, rather than
traditional white. This type of dress would be appropriate for an informal
wedding, possibly held on a beach.
(Mahanoor, 2011)

25. Our book defines culture as
“a learned system of
knowledge, behavior,
attitudes, beliefs, values,
rules , and norms that is
shared by a group of people
and shaped from one
generation to the next”. It
is our hope that we have
given you a better
understanding of the
Brazilian culture by sharing
with you its beautiful
wedding customs.
Beebe (2011)

27. Questions
• Why did informal wedding dresses become popular and in
what circumstances are they worn?
• How important is the style of the dress when deciding the
style of the wedding?
• What customs for wedding attire does your family or
culture have that would be viewed as interesting or
considerable different from the majority of Americans?
• What do you feel is the significance of the Brazilian groom
changing their boutonniere with a Brazilian flag?
• How surprised are you that Brazilian weddings are typically
conducted in accordance with western traditions?

28. Citations
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