The country has been shaped not only by the Portuguese, who gave the country its religion and language, but also by the country's native Indians, the considerable African population, and other settlers from Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Forged by music and religion the culture is robust and well known for having fun and showing the beauty in things. Brazil is officially a Catholic country, but in practice the country's religious life incorporates Indian animism, African cults, Afro-Catholic syncretism and Kardecism, a spiritualist religion embracing Eastern mysticism, which is gaining popularity with Brazilians. The primary language of Brazil is Portuguese, although it is infused with many words from Indian and African languages, it is spoken by all Brazilians. There are varying accents and dialects through the different regions of the country.
Brazilian cuisine is wild and flavor filled.
On many street corners in Bahia, women wearing flowing white dresses sell acaraj , beans, mashed in salt and onions and then fried in dend oil. The fried balls are filled with seafood, manioc paste, dried shrimp, pepper and tomato sauce. These and many other delights will be sure to satisfy even the most demanding appetites. While in Brazil be sure to take in all that this wonderful country has to offer. Rich in culture there is always a reason to celebrate, although Carnival is the biggest celebration, there are many other celebrations in Brazil.