Capoeira - Brazil

by Julia C.

Hello Stoneleigh! This week we have reached Brazil! Do you want to know how Brazilian martial arts was developed? Well, it's really kind of like African Martial Arts. It was brought over from Africa by slaves and all of the movement in capoeira is based on how animals fight. Two people spar in a circle and they perform this martial art to music. If you watch a performance, it looks a lot like dancing. Mr. Barbosa came to our Jungle Club and taught us how to do capoeira. It was a lot of fun! You should try it - we think you'll like it, too.

Carnival Brazil

Alena B.

Carnival is a huge celebration that starts 4 days before Ash Wednesday which is the beginning of Lent for Catholics in Brazil. It's just like Mardi Gras which we celebrate in New Orleans at the same time. Many people believe that carnival means "farewell to meat" because so many people stop eating meat during Lent. In northeast cities, like Salvador, people parade in streets and follow floats through the city. The floats are giant trucks with speakers on all sides playing very loud music. On top, singers and dancers perform on a stage. As many as 4000 people play to be able to follow close to a truck. The population may double or triple during Carnival. Everyone participates from grandparents to little kids, from rich to poor. In Rio de Janero, the capitol of Brazil, Samba schools perform in a giant stadium called the Sambadrome for 4 nights. People buy a seat and they watch the dancers parade by. Schools spend all year planning for the parade in the stadium. Carnival is a very special time in Brazil.

French Guyana

by Catherine D.S.

Can you believe that French Guyana is the only country in South America without independence! it is a territory of France, so their currency, or money, is the French Euro. In the 1880s and early 1900s French Guyana was used as a penal colony for prisoners from France. Papillon was a famous prisoner that escaped even though two men claim to be him. Today, French Guyana is used as a launch site for space programs. Many different types of people live there! Africans married French to create "creoles," like in New Orleans. That's French Guyana.

Suriname

Sophia S. and Maya M.

Good morning, Stoneleigh! We're here to tell you about a small country in South American called Suriname. It's located in the middle of Guyana and French Guyana and was once ruled by the Dutch, but was traded for New Amsterdam. It got independence from the Dutch in 1975.

Did you know that 80% of Suriname is a Rainforest? That is so cool!

Most of the people who live in Suriname are from India, Africa, and Asia. Only 2% of the population is native of Suriname.

We'd like to tell you about a very interesting New Year tradition. The celebration is called Oud Jaar and stores compete to have the biggest and longest ribbon of fireworks. They set off these ribbons of fireworks in the middle of the streets where people dance and celebrate. It looks really neat!

The next time you hear about Suriname, we hope you'll think of these facts.