Santa Catarina — how much do we know about it?
André, thanks so much
for sharing your knowledge and ideas with us.
You are from Santa Catarina originally, right?
Yes, I was born in Tubarão…
it’s in the south of Santa Catarina state…
one of the southern states in Brazil.
My hometown is about 2 hours drive from Florianópolis.
And, I know you are also a frequent blog writer on Medium…
Yes, that’s true.
I’ve been writing about the countries
I traveled to and lived in, on my Medium blog.
So, I thought why not share some tips about my state?
Appreciate it a lot.
And I am sure the readers will appreciate it too.
OK… so, before you tell us more about Santa Catarina…
Let me share with you what I know about the place.
Stereotypes mostly…
And then, we can compare…
and see what we don’t know.
Sure, let’s try.
OK… here is what I know…
People in Santa Catarina are…
mostly the descendants of immigrants from Northern Europe…
There are many people of German ancestry…
Second largest Oktoberfest in the world, in Blumenau.
The town looks wonderful, by the way.
Yes, it‘s really beautiful.
Yep, what else do I know?
Santa Catarina is smaller than its neighbors in the south…
states like Parana or Rio Grande do Sul.
And I am pretty sure the local culture
it’s got to have some differences too…
I mean, not only with places up north…
but also with other southern states.
I guess, that’s all I know about Santa Catarina.
All right… that’s not bad for a start.
But you know what…
Even when Brazilians from other states
think about Santa Catarina…
they just know a few famous places and events…
Florianópolis, Balneário Camboriú, Oktoberfest,
and that’s all!
I see… Actually, Balneário Camboriú…
it’s a new name on my list too.
Yes, Balneário Camboriú… a famous resort town…
on the Atlantic coast.
So, when I understand how little
the people who live out of state
know about Santa Catarina…
I feel sorry for them…
They shouldn’t think about our state
only in relation to a few famous places.
Sure, I totally agree with you on that.
You know… Santa Catarina is actually an amazing place…
a very interesting place to explore.
There is a great diversity of cultures… landscapes…
In fact, we have many different regions here…
We have… south, north, northeast, west…
and the eastern part, the Atlantic coast.
I guess, most of these places
still remain the best kept secret for visitors.
Sounds really great.
I got a question for you.
If you have to define Santa Catarina in just a few words…
What are the most important things…
you would like to mention?
Well, when I try to define Santa Catarina…
the first thing that comes to mind is diversity.
Its our history… the state had immigrants
from all over the world settled here…
mostly from Germany and Italy…
in addition to Japanese, Lebanese, Syrians,
Polish, Russians, Portuguese, Spanish,
Jewish people from various countries,
Greeks, Africans and immigrants from other countries…
although in smaller numbers.
So, the diversity is the key to understanding
the people of Santa Catarina, right?
Yes, it is all about the diversity of people who settled here.
Different regions in the state…
they developed their own cultures, mindsets,
even the accents, slang, etc.
I see… Interesting.
In Santa Catarina, as in the other states in the South,
it’s common to see the influence of the immigrants
on the local architecture…
all over the countryside…
The food is different, of course.
People have mostly white skin and blue or green eyes…
a kind of a European atmosphere.
Yes, and this is pretty different from
a typical image of Brazil!
Exactly!
You know… another interesting thing is…
the immigrants here used to own
small and medium-size land properties…
that’s why they could diversify
the income sources around the state
and develop a more equal society
than in other Brazilian regions.
It doesn’t mean that there’s no inequality in Santa Catarina.
But its still nothing compared to
what we see in the large Brazilian cities…
and we don’t see huge slums, or favellas, for example.
This is really interesting.
Yes, and adding to that…
the diversity of landscapes…
Even though we are, actually, a small state.
In the Eastern part…
it’s the coast with fantastic beaches.
Some of the most famous beaches are…
Laguna, Imbituba, Garopaba,
and also Balneário Camboriú, Itapema, and Florianópolis.
Going towards to the west…
there are mountains… we call it “Serra”…
the highest region in the state.
In winter it’s possible to see some snowflakes there occasionally.
All right… so, it might get cold even in Brazil…
at least in the South.
That’s right. It‘s basically true for all Southern states…
Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná.
But there is a true winter in Santa Catarina…
with low temperatures,
something no one can imagine in a tropical country.
In June and August, the temperature tends to fall to…
somewhere between +5ºC and +15ºC…
sometimes even down to -2ºC…
When it happens, it’s the coldest day in 10 years.
And, it even snows sometimes over there, right?
Yes, you can see snowflakes occasionally around the “Serra”.
Nothing like Russian winters, that’s for sure…
But since there’s no heating in our houses…
we have to sleep wearing blouses and jackets.
But for those familiar with harsh and long winters,
it’s probably fascinating
to experience a winter with sunny days
here, in Santa Catarina.
Great. So, talking about the local people…
Yep, another thing that comes to mind…
when I think about Santa Catarina…
is that people in the countryside…
they don’t try to imitate and follow the capital, Florianópolis.
Actually, the opposite is true…
it’s people from the rural areas…
they might make fun of the accent
of those raised in Florianópolis, for instance.
And people usually prefer to maintain their local way of life…
rather than following the big city’s trends.
Very interesting.
And now back to the stereotypes I mentioned before…
Oktoberfest and German influence…
Well, the Oktoberfest is already famous nationwide.
But there are still many people who don’t even have a clue…
that there is a lot of German culture in Brazil…
and they even never heard of the Oktoberfest in Blumenau.
The German influence is more evident
in the northern part of Santa Catarina.
Cities like Joinville, Pomerode, Blumenau, Brusque…
just to name a few.
Yes, I learned that the name Blumenau…
it was actually the family name of a German doctor.
He founded the town in the 19th century,
together with a group of other German immigrants.
Yes, that’s a true story.
So, mostly in the north…
but there are also cities
with significant German population
in other parts of the state.
And the Italian influence is more visible
in the Southern part of the state…
in cities like Nova Veneza, Urussanga, Pedras Grandes,
among many others.
Azorean legacy is evident along the coast…
for instance, in Florianópolis.
And in São Joaquim and the nearby cities…
Japanese immigrants introduced the “Fuji” apple.
Since Santa Catarina is famous for its beaches…
there are some good surfing places too, right?
Absolutely. If you enjoy surfing…
the beaches in Imbituba, Farol, Garopaba
are great places to visit.
For sandboarding, I can recommend Jaguaruna…
Actually, not so many people know this place.
And in our capital, Florianópolis…
there is beach called Joaquina.
What about food in Santa Catarina?
Are there any local delicacies or traditions?
Sure. In the cities where Italian culture is present,
it’s common to see homemade wine,
a small scale production…
just for the family and friends…
It’s one of those things you only get to know
when you make friends with locals.
I see. This is similar to my native region
in the south of Russia.
Yes, and in winter…
local people eat roasted pinhão, or pine nuts.
This is something I don’t see in other regions of Brazil…
Only in the south.
OK… local drinks…
other then homemade wine…
Yes! There is one type of drink you only find in Santa Catarina,
It’s called Guaraná Pureza… made of guaraná fruit.
The best guaraná ever!
It’s good to mix it with wine!
Yes, and the nature… the mountains…
Serra do Rio do Rastro is a place you should visit.
It’s a mountain range with an amazing view from the top
and a long road going up…
surely worth a visit.
Fantastic. Thanks, André.
This is a really inspiring story.
No worries. Glad to help.
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Head image: Sao Francisco do Sul by Otavio Noguera, Flickr, CC-BY
