- Finnish Brazilian
Infobox Ethnic group
group= flagicon|Finland Finnish Brazilian flagicon|Brazil
"Finlandês Brasileiro"
image_caption = Finnish immigrants in Brazil deletable image-caption
poptime=
popplace=Brazil :MainlySoutheastern Brazil Fact|date=July 2008
langs= Predominantly PortugueseFact|date=July 2008
rels=Lutheranism and CatholicFact|date=July 2008
related= OtherWhite Brazilian ,Finnish people Finnish Brazilian ( _pt. Finlandês Brasileiro) is a Brazilian person of full, partial, or predominantly Finnish ancestry, or a Finnish-born person residing in Brazil.
About 170 km (105 mi) from
Rio de Janeiro , the area where Penedo is located belongs to theItatiaia National Park . It is a beautiful mountainous area, covered with theAtlantic Forest , with pleasant temperature and surroundings. The small town was colonized byimmigrant s fromFinland and thearchitecture ,gastronomy and local customs such assauna s, are still present in Penedo. [cite web |url = http://www.travel-southamerica.com/International/Info/Riolitorali.html |title = Rio Coast, Brazil - travelbrazil.net - Travel in Brazil and South American tours including, Tickets, Tours, Amazon and Pantanal Ecotourism, Adventure Tourism, Hotels, Carnival |accessdate = 2008-06-06]Penedo is the first Finnish colony in
Brazil . [cite web |url = http://hotelcachoeira.com.br/penedo/penedo/penedo/colonia-finlandesa-do-penedo.html |title = Hotel Cachoeira - Penedo, Lua de Mel, Pousada - Colônia Finlandesa do Penedo |accessdate = 2008-06-06]History
In 1906, the first Finnish immigrants seem to have been sailors who went ashore especially in the port of Rio de Janeiro. From the close of the 19th century onwards, we also hear about Finnish
engineer s and technicians who worked in constructingrailway s inBrazil . In 1908, a small Finnishcolony was founded, comprising about 20 families. Then in 1909–1910, a group ofFinns from northern Sweden and northernFinland emigrated to the southern part ofBrazil (Rio Grande do Sul ). In the inter-war years, somewhere around one thousandFinns immigrated toLatin America , mainly toBrazil andArgentina . Especially from the year 1924, "Colonia Finlandesa" in Argentina received new emigrants from eastern Finland. InBrazil , a utopian social experiment, "Penedo", was started in 1929.After
World War II , immigration fromFinland toLatin America continued, but to a smaller degree than before. According to Finnish official statistics, about 500 immigrants left for Latin American countries. Venezuela then became a new country to Finnish emigration. In the course of time small Finnish colonies have sprung up within some ofSouth America 's major cities, especially inSão Paulo ,Rio de Janeiro ,Buenos Aires andCaracas . Here, however, we must distinguish between true emigrants and the occasional Finnish resident in Latin American countries for diplomatic service or business. [cite web |url = http://www.suku.fi/emi/art/article300e.htm |title = Migration from Finland 1866-1970 |accessdate = 2008-06-06]Penedo
Penedo is a small village with a curious history. It is located right next to Parque Nacional do Itatiaia. Penedo was settled by Finnish immigrants in 1929. The founder of the settlement, Toivo Uuskallio, came here with a small group of like-minded fellows, and they had prosaic plans in mind. His idea was to build a community that would live in peace with
nature , and the precepts included a strict vegan diet, with no foods of animal origin. He arrived in the city of Rio with his wife Liisa. They were marveled with the lush natural beauty of the state. After taking some Portuguese lessons (reportedly atBerlitz ), he ended up going by train to nearbyBarra Mansa . From there he started exploring the region, visiting farms and properties in Rio and neighboring states.He finally visited Fazenda Penedo, then owned by the São Bento Monastery. With 3,500 hectares, it was crisscrossed by fresh water springs and rivers, that were distributed along several altitudes. He could use the large Casa Grande, the main house in the farm, to accommodate his group. He envisioned that the area would allow them to grow both
Europe an and tropical plants. He was not aware that the former use of the farm as a coffee plantation had basically drained all the nutrients from thesoil , and that voracious sauva ants were ready to eat anything in sight. In 1929, he purchased the property, and a second group of settlers arrived. After working on the land, they were finally able to plantcorn , yams,banana s,flow ers, andloofah . By 1935 most settlers had their own individualhouse s. Women took care of the laundry, cooking andvegetable garden s, while men tended the earth, planted and negotiated thecrop s. Many of the settlers did not adapt well to the new country, and returned home toFinland . When things got ugly withWorld War II some of them came back toBrazil . The strict vegan philosophy was no longer prevalent, though, and fowl, pig and dairy farming were gradually introduced.Tourism became an alternative. Liisa Uuskallio was the pioneer, using the spacious Casa Grande. Penedo is where Brazilians were introduced to theFinnish sauna . Guests could enjoy the healthy lifestyle, delicious food and fresh-bakedbread s, and relax in theriver . "Clube Finlandês" opened doors in 1943. Massages and treatments were incorporated into the attractions for visitors. It could be considered the grandfather of today's spas. In 1970,electricity reached the village, and 1980 the firstphone s were installed.Few Finns remain in Penedo today. Nevertheless the
Scandinavia n style of thehouse s has been preserved, and the village has kept its European charm. With a number of talented localartisan s, handcraft and carpets (Ryigi and Raanu) are offered in local stores for very attractive prices. Decorative candles, hand-woven blankets and throws are also part of the Finnish legacy. As the descendants of the immigrants stopped growing loofah in the 70's, the traditional bathing gloves, sandals, dolls and other items are no longer available. To compensate, food specialties such as fruit preserves, chutney, home-made chocolates and ice cream are well-known for excellent quality. In addition to nature lovers and gourmets, Penedo is popular with adventure seekers. Rappelling, mountaineering and horseback riding are among the options. If you would rather take things a little more lightly, enjoy the nature trails, waterfalls, go for a few laps in the river, breathe the fresh mountain air.ee also
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Immigration to Brazil
*White Brazilian
*Finnish people References
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