The culture of Brazil is primarily Western, but presents a very diverse nature showing that an ethnic and cultural mixing occurred in the colonial period involving mostly Indigenous peoples of the coastal and most accessible riverine areas, Portuguese people and African people. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, together with further waves of Portuguese colonization, Italians, Spaniards, Germans, Austrians, Levantine Arabs (Syrians and Lebanese), Armenian, Japanese, Chinese, Poles, Helvetians, Ukrainians and Russians settled in Brazil, playing an important role in its culture as it started to shape a multicultural and multiethnic society.[1] As consequence of three centuries of colonization by the Portuguese empire, the core of Brazilian culture is derived from the culture of Portugal. The numerous Portuguese inheritances include the language, cuisine items such as rice and beans and feijoada, the predominant religion and the colonial architectural styles.[2] These aspects, however, were influenced by African and Indigenous American traditions, as well as those from other Western European countries.[3] Some aspects of Brazilian culture are contributions of Italian, Spaniard, German, Japanese and other European immigrants.[4] Amerindian people and Africans played a large role in the formation of Brazilian language, cuisine, music, dance and religion.
This diverse cultural background has helped boast many celebrations and festivals that have become known around the world, such as the Brazilian Carnival and the Bumba Meu Boi. The colourful culture creates an environment that makes Brazil a popular destination for many tourists each year, around over 1 million.