Oktoberfest Blumenau! A big event!

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While you might not expect to find one of the world’s largest Oktoberfests in Brazil, the former German colony of Blumenau in the state of Santa Catarina rivals Munich as much for its authenticity as it does for the passion of its celebrations! Founded in 1984, the 18-day Blumenau Oktoberfest is a culturally rich blend of folklore and tradition, and gives locals and tourists alike the chance to fully immerse themselves in a wide range of carefully preserved German customs – including of course, bratwursts and beer!

Do know how to pronounce this word “event” the right way? Listen and repeat!

Oktoberfest 2017! 10 Reasons to celebrate it here!

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OKTOBERFEST 2017

Oktoberfest in Blumenau is a whole world apart from any Oktoberfest celebration around the world. It takes place in Blumenau, a very German city in Brazil. Also the pretty city of Pomerode is just a short distance away. So, here are the top 10 reasons why you must celebrate Oktoberfest in Brazil.

1. The second largest Oktoberfest outside Germany

Blumenau hosts the world’s second largest Oktoberfest outside Germany! The Brazilian city of Blumenau hosted over 500,000 visitors to Oktoberfest in these last few years (the city has a population of almost 350,000) for 18 days of beer guzzling, dancing, singing, parades, fun, oh and some German culture with that Brazilian flair! It is a party not to be missed.

2. Location

Blumenau and Pomerode are situated in the European Valley in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. This area was named such due to the beautiful rolling green hills and land that was settled by Europeans mainly from Germany and Italy. The views are amazing. Imagine rolling green hills with quaint little German style farms and homes, near streams and rivers, cows grazing freely. The countryside here is absolutely beautiful!

3.  The most German city in Brazil

A short drive from Blumenau lies the small city of Pomerode. Pomerode is called the most German city in Brazil.  Most of this city’s inhabitants are bilingual in German and Portuguese.

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4.  The costumes

Brazilians love to dress up in costume! You can purchase your own traditional German costume at many of the areas gift shops. People who wear costumes to Oktoberfest get in half priced! The amount of people dressed up in German clothing just brings extra excitement and fun to the festivities. It puts everyone in the mood to have a great time!

5.  People watching

Brazil is home to some of the most beautiful people in the world, in part due to having so much ethnic diversity.

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6. The food

With the large German immigrant community you are bound to have some quality German food. It is all available – schnitzel, sausages, spetztl, etc. The batata recheada – or stuffed potato – rules all at the Blumenau Oktoberfest.

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7.  The weather

The weather in Brazil in October is amazing. It is spring and it’s not too hot and not cold. The temperature runs between 69 and 85 degrees fahrenheit this time of year.

8.  The beaches

Blumenau is close proximity to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world! Where else can you party at one of the largest Oktoberfest’s in the world one day and lay out in your swimsuit at the beach the next?

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9.  The beer

You can enjoy Oktoberfest even if you are not a beer drinker. If you don’t like beer try some of the wines local to Brazil and the famous Brazilian cocktail the Caipirinha! For the non-drinkers out there, Brazil is known for having some of the best fresh juices in the world!

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10.  The parades

The Oktoberfest parade is full of beautiful dancing men and women, children, sleeping babies being pulled in wagons while parents enjoyed a few beers, bicycles, fun German themed floats, a giant pig float, marching bands, lively music pumped from speakers on the floats, folkloric groups, hunting and shooting clubs, Oktoberfest royalty, and the list goes on and on. Everyone goes to the parade, both young and old. The parade goers are also participants, singing and dancing along, cheering for the people in the procession. The parade occurs every Wednesday at 7:30p.m. and every Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in downtown Blumenau. Attending the parade is a must to get into the party mood!

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Based on http://elizabethanddaleabroad.com/2015/03/20/oktoberfest-brazilian-style/

See more at http://www.oktoberfestblumenau.com.br/en/

“We don’t need ‘this’ education…”

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We don't need this education

Roger Waters wrote this song about his views on formal education. He hated his grammar school teachers and felt they were more interested in keeping the kids quiet than teaching them. The bricks in the wall were the events in Water’s life which propelled him to build this wall around him, and his school teacher was another brick in the wall. The song is meant to be satirical. Waters explained: “You couldn’t find anybody in the world more pro-education than me. But the education I went through in boys’ grammar school in the ‘50s was very controlling and demanded rebellion. The song is meant to be a rebellion against  government, against people who have power over you, who are wrong. Then it absolutely demanded that you rebel against that.”

Don’t miss it! Learn and practice the lyrics here!

Is there more to life than being happy?

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A good exercise to improve your listening skills and acquire new vocabulary! She speaks very clearly and you can see the language we’ve already learned in a context everybody is interested in!

Why don’t you print the transcript and give a closer look to it? Play the video with English subtitles first, work on the transcript and then turn them off to listen again!