Hej guys
We're having a vacation, just telling you c: I'm travelling with my mom this week and I won't have internet until Christmas, and I have to talk to some people so we can decide what we're going to do next year (about this blog. I said I was going to make something different with some friends, but we don't know what. Yet.) and I think it would be nice to start it after New Year's Eve because of no particular reason, but I think it sounds better (????).
And that's it :3



Aaaaaand I have kind of a promise to you guys: if I pass that fucking test I did this week (which decides if I'm going to a public university or not) I'll shave a part of my hair. And I'm fucking serious. Write it down. I think it's fun how public schools are so shitty while public universities are so nice and everyone wants to study there. Makes no sense to me. 

And now it's really over.

Happy Holidays :D
See you in January

"BRAZILIAN" CULTURE: IEMANJÁ

Hej c:

Today's post is about something that isn't really Brazilian, but is really present in our culture because of the beliefs of the African slaves and, in a in a predominantly Christian country, these beliefs are seen as "devilish" and a lot of people don't respect it. 

 Yemanja is an orisha, originally of the Yoruba religion, who has become prominent in many Afro-American religions. Africans from what is now called Yorubaland brought Yemaya/Yemoja and a host of other deities/energy forces in nature with them when they were brought to the shores of the America as captives. She is the ocean, the essence of motherhood, and a protector of children.
 Because the Afro-American religions were transmitted as part of a long oral tradition, there are many regional variations on the goddess's name:
Africa: Yemoja, Ymoja, Yemowo, Mami Wata
Brazil: Yemanjá, Iemanjá, Janaína
Cuba: Yemaya, Yemayah, Iemanya
Haiti: La Sirène, LaSiren (in Vodou)
USA: Yemalla, Yemana, Yemoja
Uruguay: Iemanjá
Dominican Republic: Yemalla or La Diosa del mar (sea goddess)
 Yemaja is said to be the mother of all orisha. She also is the spirit of water, and her favorite number is 7.

In Brazil, the goddess is known as Yemanjá, Iemanjá or Janaína in Brazilian Candomblé and Umbanda religions.
 The Umbanda religion worships Iemanjá as one of the seven orixás of the African Pantheon. She is the Queen of the Ocean, the patron deity of the fishermen and the survivors of shipwrecks, the feminine principle of creation and the spirit of moonlight. A syncretism happens between the catholic Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes (Our Lady of the Seafaring) and the orixá Iemanjá of the African Mithology. Sometimes, a feast can honor both.
 In Salvador, Bahia, Iemanjá is celebrated by Candomblé on the very same day consecrated by the Catholic Church to Our Lady of Seafaring (Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes).Every February 2, thousands of people line up at dawn to leave their offerings at her shrine in Rio Vermelho.
 Gifts for Iemanjá usually include flowers and objects of female vanity (perfume, jewelry, combs, lipsticks, mirrors). These are gathered in large baskets and taken out to the sea by local fishermen. Afterwards a massive street party ensues.
 Iemanjá is also celebrated every December 8 in Salvador. The Festa da Conceição da Praia (Feast to Our Lady of Conception of the church at the beach) is a city holiday dedicated to the Catholic saint and also to Iemanjá. Another feast occurs on this day in the Pedra Furada, Monte Serrat in Salvador, called the Gift to Iemanjá, when fishermen celebrate their devotion to the Queen of the Ocean.
 Outside Bahia State, Iemanjá is celebrated mainly by followers of the Umbanda religion.
 On New Year's Eve in Rio de Janeiro, millions of cariocas, of all religions, dressed in white gather on Copacabana beach to greet the New Year, watch fireworks, and throw (white) flowers and other offerings into the sea for the goddess in the hopes that she will grant them their requests for the coming year. Some send their gifts to Iemanjá in wooden toy boats. Paintings of Iemanjá are sold in Rio shops, next to paintings of Jesus and other Catholic saints. They portray her as a woman rising out of the sea. Small offerings of flowers and floating candles are left in the sea on many nights at Copacabana.
 In São Paulo State, Iemanjá is celebrated in the two first weekends of December on the shores of Praia Grande city. During these days many vehicles garnished with Iemanjá icons and colors (white and blue) roam from the São Paulo mountains to the sea littoral, some of them traveling hundreds of miles. Thousands of people rally near Iemanjá's statue in Praia Grande beach.
 In Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State, on February 2, the image of Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes is carried to the port of Pelotas. Before the closing of the catholic feast, the boats stop and host the Umbanda followers that carry the image of Iemanjá, in a syncretic meeting that is watched by thousand of people on the shore.

Source: wikipedia

 

For real, if you think the Devil made this, there's something really wrong with you. I know people who have a real problem with afro-brazilian religions, like "omg, devil blah blah blah". Coincidentally, this person says "not like this band because they made a pact with the devil". 

But, yeah, that's it c:

Hej då 

BRAZILIAN CULTURE: CORPO SECO

Oh hej
Guess what happened?  No, I didn't forget. This time. I mean, I did, but I wasn't even at home, btw, so whatever. It's my last year of high school and yesterday we had all that beautiful ceremony and all. It was awesome, I've never thought that I would miss that school so much lol. 
Oh well, let's go:

Corpo Seco is a man who spent his life beating and responding to his moder. When he died, he was rejected by God, the Devil and the earth, disgusted, repelled him. One day, he rose from his tomb, completely rotten and completely furious, decided to scare everyone who passed near his favorite road.
In São Paulo, there is a variant of this legend: it is said that when a person passes near the Corpo Seco he jumps and sucks all your blood (like a vampire).
There are also reports of Corpo Seco in the state of Paraná, Amazonas, Minas Gerais, in the Midwest region of Brazil and some African countries of Portuguese language, reported by Brazilian soldiers of the mission UNAVEM III.
In Ituiutaba, Minas Gerais, there is a variation of this legend, which tells that the Corpo Seco - after being repelled by the earth several times - is taken by firefighters to an apparent cave in a mountain range that lies south of the city. They say those who spend the night down the dirt road near to the place, you can hear his screams echoing from inside the cave.
Even today, there is a popular saying: "Whoever hits the mother stays with the withered hand."
Source: Brazilian wikipedia

Aaaaaaand that's it. I won't post anything tomorrow because I have my prom ball today and the ast assay for my flute recital my cousin's birthday party tomorrow and yeah, I think I won't have time. I'll try to post something, anyway.
Hej då

BRAZILIAN CULTURE: CURUPIRA & CAIPORA

Hej :3

I forgot again lololol oh well, beter late than never, right? 

 Curupira's name comes from the Tupi language kuru'pir, meaning "covered in blisters". According to the cultural legends, this creature has bright red/orange hair, and resembles a man or a dwarf, but its feet are turned backwards. Curupira lives in the forests of Brazil and uses its backward feet to create footprints that lead to its starting point, thus making hunters and travelers confused. Besides that, he can also create illusions and produce a sound that's like a high pitched whistle, in order to scare and drive its victim to madness. It is common to portray a Curupira riding a Collared peccary, much like another Brazilian creature called Caipora. A Curupira will prey on poachers and hunters that take more than they need of the forest, and he also attacks people that hunt animals that were taking care of their offspring. There are many different versions of the legend, and so the creature's appearance and habits may vary from each region in Brazil. However, Curupira is considered a nationwide folkloric figure.

 Caipora is an entity of the Tupi-Guarani mythology in Brazil. It is represented as a dark-skinned, small Indian, naked with a very long black mane, smoking a cigar and very mischievous. Other depictions are as a stout hairy anthropomorphic being with the head of a fox. Sometimes it's said that he has his feet turned backwards, to deceive trackers, although this is mostly commonly said of the curupira instead. Some say it rides a great peccary. The Caipora also is said to help the people that are kind to the forest and hurt those who hurt it. It is known as a forest dweller, as a king of the animals of sorts and very vengeful of hunters who do not respect the rules of "fair-play" when hunting. It is told that it scares away prey and "hides" animal tracks or makes hunters lose their way in the jungle.

Source: wikipedia

And that's it :3

sorry again LOL

Hej då

BRAZILIAN CULTURE: BOTO

Hej
How are you guys? This week I had my last test at school. Woah, this sounds so weird. There are gonna have more tests to enter college and then I'm done. (yeah, we have tests to go into college. you know, to see if we are intelligent enough or something like that. and it's a fucking big test, like, 70 questions, depending on the university. i think i'm going to write a whole post about it when it's over). Oh well, here's one more Brazilian legend for you guys:

 The legend of the boto cor-de rosa (it's a dolphin, basically) has its origin in the Amazon region (northern Brazil). It is still very popular in the region and is part of Brazilian folklore. According to legend, a dolphin colored pink leaves of the rivers on the nights of June Festival. With a special power, can turn into a beautiful young man dressed in white clothes social. He wears a white hat to cover his face and hide the big nose. With his flirtatious and talkative, the dolphin approaches of unaccompanied girls, seducing them. Soon after, convinces women for a ride on the river bottom, where usually impregnate them. The next morning back to become the boto.
  In popular culture, this legend was used to justify the occurrence of a pregnancy outside of marriage.
  Still nowadays, especially in the Amazon region, it is said that a child is the son of boto, when no one knows who the father is.
Source: in Portuguese

This is a boto, btw. It's like a dolphin that lives in rivers.

That's it.

See you

Hej då

BRAZILIAN CULTURE: BOITATÁ

Hej :)
How are you guys? 
I miserably failed last week, eh. Sorry.
BTW, I was talking with a friend of mine and, since we like the same things, we're probably blogging together next year. We're looking for nice stuff to post, but it'll be about History, haha.

Aaaand today's post is about the Boitatá.
 Also known as "running fire", the boitatá is a large snake of fire. This imaginary creature was first cited in 1560, a text of the Jesuit priest José de Anchieta. In the Tupi Indian language, "mboi" means snake and "tata"  means fire.
 In the North and Northeast, people believed that the boitatá protected the woods and forests of the people who cause fires and it lived in rivers and lakes and leaves his "habitat" for people who do burn fires in the forests. According to this legend, boitatá has the capability of turning a log fire.
 In southern Brazil, the explanation for the appearance of the snake of fire is related to flood (the biblical story that talks about the rain that lasted 40 days and 40 nights). After the flood, many animals died and the snakes were laughing happy because there was food in abundance. As punishment, the belly of them burst into flames, lighting up the whole body.
 Researchers say that this legend is associated fires, which occur spontaneously due to the burning of gases from the decomposition of organic material.
Source: in Portuguese

 

That's all, folks :3
See you Saturday
Hej då

BRAZILIAN CULTURE: WHY THE LAMB IS MEEK

Hej
How are you? My school year is almost ending and next year I'm going to colllege (that's what I hope) and it feels so weird. I mean, I'm on the same school since I was 6 years old, leaving just doesn't feels right. :c

 Once upon a time there was a little lamb frisking gaily about the
pasture. The bright sunshine and the soft breezes made him very happy.
He had just finished a hearty meal and that made him happy too. He was
the very happiest little lamb in all the world and he thought that he
was the most wonderful little lamb. 
 A big toad sat on the ground and watched him. After a while the toad
said: "O, little lamb, how are you feeling today?"
 The lamb replied that he had never felt better in all his life.
 "Even though you are feeling very strong I can pull you into the sea,"
said the toad.
 The little lamb laughed and laughed until he rolled over on the
ground.
 "Just take hold of this rope and I'll show you how easy it is to pull
you into the sea," said the toad.
 The lamb took hold of the rope. Then the toad said, "Please wait a
minute while I get a good long distance away from you. I can pull
better when I'm not too near you."
 The lamb waited and the toad hopped down to the sea. He hopped up into
a tree which hung over the water's edge and from there he hopped on to
the whale's back. He fastened the end of the rope around the whale
and then he called out to the lamb: "All ready. Now we'll see how hard
you can pull."
 When the whale felt the lamb pulling at the rope he swam away from the
shore. No matter how hard the lamb pulled or how much force he exerted
it did not do one bit of good. He was dragged down to the water's edge
as easily as could be.
 "I give up," said the lamb as he reached the water's edge.
 After that, although the sunshine was just as bright as ever, any one
who watched that little lamb could see that he was a little more meek.
 One day not long afterwards the sunshine was again very bright and the
little lamb was again feeling frisky. He was so happy and gay that he
had forgotten all about how the toad had pulled him down to the water
until the toad spoke to him. Then he remembered.
 "O, little lamb, how are you feeling today?" asked the toad. The
little lamb replied that he was very well.
 "Let us run a race," said the toad, "I think I can beat you."
 "You may be strong enough to pull me into the sea," said the lamb,
"but surely I can run faster than you. I've watched you hopping about
my pasture. You can't run fast at all. However, I'll gladly run a race
with you to prove what I say."
 The toad set a goal and told the lamb to call out every little while
during the race so he could see how much farther ahead the lamb was.
Then the toad and the lamb started.
 The toad had assembled all his brothers and his sisters and his
cousins and his uncles and his aunts before the race and had stationed
them at various points along the path of the race. He had told them
that whenever any of them should hear the lamb calling out, "Laculay,
laculay, laculay," the toad which was nearest should answer,
"Gulugubango, bango lay."
 The lamb ran and ran as fast as he could. Then he remembered his
promise and called out, "Laculay, laculay, laculay." He expected to
hear the toad answer from a long, long distance behind him. He was
much surprised to hear some one near him answer, "Gulugubango, bango
lay." After that he ran faster than ever.
 After running on for some distance farther the lamb again called out,
"Laculay, laculay, laculay." Again he heard the answer at only a short
distance away, "Gulugubango, bango lay." He ran and ran until his
little heart was beating so fast that it seemed as if it would burst.
 At last he arrived at the goal of the race which the toad had set and
there sat the toad's brother who looked so much like him that the lamb
couldn't tell them apart. The lamb went back to his pasture very
meekly and quietly. He acknowledged that he had been beaten in the
race.
 The next morning the toad said to him, "Even though you did not run
fast enough to win the race, still you are a very fast runner. I have
told the daughter of the king about you and I have said to her that
some day she shall see me riding on your back with a bridle in your
mouth as if you were my horse."
 The lamb was very angry. "Perhaps you are strong enough to pull me
into the sea, and perhaps you can beat me when we run a race," said
the lamb, "but never, never in the world will I be your horse."
 Time passed and the sunshine was very bright and the soft, gentle
breezes were very sweet. The lamb was so happy again that he forgot
all about how the toad had pulled him into the sea, and how the toad
had beaten him at running the race. He was very sorry for the toad
when he saw him all humped up in a disconsolate little heap one day.
"O, poor toad, are you sick?" he asked. "Isn't there something I can
do to help you?"
 The toad told him how very sick he was. "There is something you could
do to help me," he said, "but I don't believe that you are quite
strong enough or can travel quite fast enough."
 The lamb took a deep breath and blew out his chest. "I'll show you,"
he said. "Just tell me what it is."
 The toad replied that he had promised to be at a party that afternoon
at the house of the king's daughter and he did not see how he could
possibly get there unless some one would carry him.
 "Jump on my back," said the lamb. "I'll carry you."
 The toad shook about on the lamb's back after they had started so that
it seemed as if he would surely fall off. After a little he said, "I
can not possibly stand riding like this. It jars all my sore spots.
I'll have to get off." He tried it a little while longer and shook
about worse than ever. Then he said, "Do you know, I think I could
endure this painful ride a little better if only I had something to
hold myself by? Do you mind if I take a piece of grass and put it in
your mouth? I can hold on to that when I shake about and my sore spots
will not hurt so much."
 The lamb let the toad put a piece of grass in his mouth.
 After a while the toad asked for a little stick. "The flies and
mosquitoes annoy me terribly," he said. "If only I had a little stick
I could wave it about over my head and frighten them away. It is very
bad for any one in my weak, nervous condition to be bothered by flies
and mosquitoes." The lamb let the toad have a little stick to wave
over his head.
 At last the lamb and the toad drew near to the palace of the king. The
king's daughter was leaning out of the window watching for them. The
toad dug his feet into the lamb's sides, pulled hard on the piece of
the grass in the lamb's mouth and waved the little stick about over
the lamb's head. "Go on, horse," he said and the king's daughter heard
him. She laughed and laughed, and when all the rest of the people in
the palace saw the toad arriving mounted on the lamb's back and
driving him like a horse they laughed too. The lamb went meekly home
to his pasture and from that day to this when one wishes to speak of
meekness one says "as meek as a lamb."
Source: http://fairytalesandfolklore.com/tale.php?tale=518

That's it :3
Have a nice evening or whatever lol
Hej då

BRAZILIAN CULTURE: SACI

Hej :3

How are you doing? I can't believe we're in October already, this year is passing so fucking fast   . Really, wtf? 

But no one really cares about the fact that the time is faster now, so let's talk about the only Brazilian legend that all Brazilians actually know.

 Saci (pronounced: [saˈsi] or [sɐˈsi]) is a character commonly regarded to be the best known character in Brazilian folklore. He is a one-legged black or mulato youngster with holes in the palms of his hands, who smokes a pipe and wears a magical red cap that enables him to disappear and reappear wherever he wishes (usually in the middle of a dust devil). Considered an annoying prankster in most parts of Brazil, and a potentially dangerous and malicious creature in others, he will nevertheless grant wishes to anyone who manages to trap him or steal his magic cap. However his cap is often depicted as having a bad smell, most people who claimed to have stolen this cap often say they can never wash the smell away.
 An incorrigible prankster, the Saci will not cause major harm, but there is no little harm that he won't do. He will hide children's toys, set farm animals loose, tease dogs, and curse chicken eggs preventing them from hatching. In the kitchen, the Saci would spill all salt, sour the milk, burn the bean stew, and drop flies into the soup. If a popcorn kernel fails to pop, it is because the Saci cursed it. Given half a chance, he will dull the seamstress's needles, hide her thimbles, and tangle her sewing threads. If he sees a nail lying on the ground, he will turn it with the point up. In short, anything that goes wrong — in the house, or outside it — may be blamed on the Saci.
 Besides disappearing or becoming invisible (often with only his red cap and the red glow of his pipe still showing), the Saci can transform himself into a Matitaperêor Matita Pereira, an elusive bird whose melancholic song seems to come from nowhere. One can escape a pursuing Saci by crossing a water stream: the Saci will not dare to cross, for then he will lose all his powers. Another way is to drop ropes full of knots; the Saci will then be compelled to stop and undo the knots. One can also try to appease him by leaving behind some cachaça, or some tobacco for his pipe.
 He is fond of juggling embers or other small objects and letting them fall through the holes on his palms. An exceedingly nimble fellow, the lack of his right leg does not prevent him from bareback-riding a horse, and sitting cross-legged while puffing on his pipe (a feat comparable to the Headless Mule's gushing fire from the nostrils).
 Every dust devil, says the legend, is caused by the spin-dance of an invisible Saci. One can capture him by throwing into the dust devil a rosary made of separately blessed prayer beads, or by pouncing on it with a sieve. With care, the captured Saci can be coaxed to enter a dark glass bottle, where he can be imprisoned by a cork with a cross marked on it. He can also be enslaved by stealing his cap, which is the source of his power. However, depending on the treatment he gets from his master, an enslaved Saci who regains his freedom may become either a trustworthy guardian and friend, or a devious and terrible enemy.
 This indigenous character was appropriated and transformed in the 18th century by the African slaves who had been brought in large numbers to Brazil. Farm slaves would tell Saci stories to amuse and frighten the children. In this process the creature became black, his red hair metamorphosed into a red cap, and, as the African elders who usually told the tales, he came to be always smoking his clay-and-reed pipe. His name mutated into various forms, such as Saci Taperê and Sá Pereira (a common Portuguese name), and eventually Saci Pererê. While some claim that the Saci myth originated in Europe in the 13th century such as the Monopod (creature), it probably derives from the Ŷaci-ŷaterê of Tupi-Guarani mythology, a magic one-legged child with bright red hair who would spell-bind people and break the forest's silence with his loud shouts and whistles. He was originally a creature of the night, and indeed the ŷaci (jaˈsi) means "Moon" in Old Tupi.
 His red cap may have been inspired on the Phrygian cap which was at one time worn by Portuguese peasants. The Saci-Pererê concept shows some syncretism with Christian elements: he bolts away when faced with crosses, leaving behind a sulphurous smell — classical attributes of the devil in Christian folklore.
 The concepts of imprisoning a supernatural being in a bottle by a magically marked cork, and of forcing him to grant wishes in return of his liberty, have obvious parallels in the story of Aladdin from the Arabian Nights. This may be more than just a coincidence, since many slaves were Muslims and thus presumably familiar with the Arabian tales. Moreover, the occupation of parts of the Portuguese territory (namely in the south) by the Muslim Moors, between the years 711 and 1249, provides another possible path for Arabian influence on the Saci legend. With the purpose of countering the growing trend of adopting the Anglo-Celtic Halloween in Brazil (in Portuguese called Dia das Bruxas),the Day of the Saci was created in 2005, and it is likewise commemorated on October 31. A tongue-in-cheek Society of Saci Observers was also created. 
 The character remains quite popular in present-day Brazilian urban culture, mainly due to the immensely popular children's book O Saci by Monteiro Lobato (1932). In the 1960s, the one-legged gnome — by now "domesticated" into a prankish but inoffensive and lovable creature — was chosen by premier Brazilian cartoonist Ziraldo as the leading character of his comics magazine, O Saci Pererê. This original publication, the first of its genre to feature entirely "national" characters, was short-lived, but paved the way for other Brazilian cartoonists like Angeli, Laerte, and Mauricio de Sousa.
 Tom Jobim's hit song Águas de Março mentions the Matita Pereira, and Nei Lopes's samba song entitled Fumo de Rolo tells a tale of a fisherman being accosted by the saci while collecting reeds in the forest. The sací demands some tobacco for his pipe, but the poor fellow has lost his.

Source: Wikipedia

Aaand it's done :3

Hej då

BRAZILIAN CULTURE: HOW THE TIGER GOT HIS STRIPES

Hej
 So, I'm sorry about posting, like, 9PM, BUT I'm not late yet u-u

Once upon a time, ages and ages ago, so long ago that the tiger had no
stripes upon his back and the rabbit still had his tail, there was a
tiger who had a farm. The farm was very much overgrown with underbrush
and the owner sought a workman to clear the ground for him to plant.
 The tiger called all the beasts together and said to them when they
had assembled, "I need a good workman at once to clear my farm of the
underbrush. To the one of you who will do this work I offer an ox in
payment."
 The monkey was the first one to step forward and apply for the
position. The tiger tried him for a little while but he was not a good
workman at all. He did not work steadily enough to accomplish
anything. The tiger discharged him very soon and he did not pay him.
 Then the tiger hired the goat to do the work. The goat worked
faithfully enough but he did not have the brains to do the work well.
He would clear a little of the farm in one place and then he would go
away and work on another part of it. He never finished anything
neatly. The tiger discharged him very soon without paying him.
 Next the tiger tried the armadillo. The armadillo was very strong and
he did the work well. The trouble with him was that he had such an
appetite. There were a great many ants about the place and the
armadillo could never pass by a sweet tender juicy ant without
stopping to eat it. It was lunch time all day long with him. The tiger
discharged him and sent him away without paying him anything.
 At last the rabbit applied for the position. The tiger laughed at him
and said, "Why, little rabbit, you are too small to do the work. The
monkey, the goat, and the armadillo have all failed to give
satisfaction. Of course a little beast like you will fail too."
 However, there were no other beasts who applied for the position so
the tiger sent for the rabbit and told him that he would try him for a
little while.
 The rabbit worked faithfully and well, and soon he had cleared a
large portion of the ground. The next day he worked just as well. The
tiger thought that he had been very lucky to hire the rabbit. He got
tired staying around to watch the rabbit work. The rabbit seemed to
know just how to do the work anyway, without orders, so the tiger
decided to go away on a hunting trip. He left his son to watch the
rabbit.
 After the tiger had gone away the rabbit said to the tiger's son, "The
ox which your father is going to give me is marked with a white spot
on his left ear and another on his right side, isn't he?"
 "O, no," replied the tiger's son. "He is red all over with just a tiny
white spot on his right ear."
 The rabbit worked for a while longer and then he said, "The ox which
your father is going to give me is kept by the river, isn't he?"
 "Yes," replied the tiger's son.
 The rabbit had made a plan to go and get the ox without waiting to
finish his work. Just as he started off he saw the tiger returning.
The tiger noticed that the rabbit had not worked so well when he was
away. After that he stayed and watched the rabbit until the whole farm
was cleared. Then the tiger gave the rabbit the ox as he had promised.
 "You must kill this ox," he said to the rabbit, "in a place where
there are neither flies nor mosquitoes."
 The rabbit went away with the ox. After he had gone for some distance
he thought he would kill him. He heard a cock, however, crowing in
the distance and he knew that there must be a farm yard near. There
would be flies of course. He went on farther and again he thought that
he would kill the ox. The ground looked moist and damp and so did the
leaves on the bushes. Since the rabbit thought there would be
mosquitoes there he decided not to kill the ox. He went on and on and
finally he came to a high place where there was a strong breeze
blowing. "There are no mosquitoes here," he said to himself. "The
place is so far removed from any habitation that there are no flies,
either." He decided to kill the ox.
 Just as he was ready to eat the ox, along came the tiger. "O, rabbit,
you have been such a good friend of mine," said the tiger, "and now I
am so very, very hungry that all my ribs show, as you yourself can
see. Will you not be a good kind rabbit and give me a piece of your
ox?"
 The rabbit gave the tiger a piece of the ox. The tiger devoured it in
the twinkling of an eye. Then he leaned back and said, "Is that all
you are going to give me to eat?"
 The tiger looked so big and savage that the rabbit did not dare refuse
to give him any more of the ox. The tiger ate and ate and ate until he
had devoured that entire ox. The rabbit had been able to get only a
tiny morsel of it. He was very, very angry at the tiger.
 One day not long after the rabbit went to a place not far from the
tiger's house and began cutting down big staves of wood. The tiger
soon happened along and asked him what he was doing.
 "I'm getting ready to build a stockade around myself," replied the
rabbit. "Haven't you heard the orders?" The tiger said that he hadn't
heard any orders.
 "That is very strange," said the rabbit. "The order has gone forth
that every beast shall fortify himself by building a stockade around
himself. All the beasts are doing it."
 The tiger became very much alarmed. "O, dear! O, dear! What shall I
do," he cried. "I don't know how to build a stockade. I never could do
it in the world. O, good rabbit! O, kind rabbit! You are such, a very
good friend of mine. Couldn't you, as a great favour, because of our
long friendship, build a stockade about me before you build one
around yourself?"
 The rabbit replied that he could not think of risking his own life by
building the tiger's fortifications first. Finally, however, he
consented to do it.
 The rabbit cut down great quantities of long sharp sticks. He set them
firmly in the ground about the tiger. He fastened others securely over
the top until the tiger was completely shut in by strong bars. Then he
went away and left the tiger.
 The tiger waited and waited for something to happen to show him the
need of the fortifications. Nothing at all happened.
 He got very hungry and thirsty. After a while the monkey passed that
way.
 The tiger called out, "O, monkey, has the danger passed?"
 The monkey did not know what danger the tiger meant, but he replied,
"Yes."
 Then the tiger said, "O, monkey, O, good, kind monkey, will you not
please be so kind as to help me out of my stockade?"
 "Let the one who got you in there help you out," replied the monkey
and he went on his way.
 Along came the goat and the tiger called out, "O, goat, has the danger
passed?"
 The goat did not know anything about any danger, but he replied,
"Yes."
 Then the tiger said, "O, goat, O, good kind goat, please be so kind as
to help me out of my stockade."
 "Let the one who got you in there help you out," replied the goat as
he went on his way.
 Along came the armadillo and the tiger called out, "O, armadillo, has
the danger passed?"
 The armadillo had not heard of any danger, but he replied that it had
passed.
 Then the tiger said, "O, armadillo, O, good, kind armadillo, you have
always been such a good friend and neighbour. Please help me now to
get out of my stockade."
 "Let the one who got you in there help you out," replied the armadillo
as he went on his way.
 The tiger jumped and jumped with all his force at the top of the
stockade, but he could not break through. He jumped and jumped with
all his might at the front side of the stockade, but he could not
break through. He thought that never in the world would he be able to
break out. He rested for a little while and as he rested he thought.
He thought how bright the sun was shining outside. He thought what
good hunting there was in the jungle. He thought how cool the water
was at the spring. Once more he jumped and jumped with all his might
at the back side of the stockade. At last he broke through. He did not
get through, however, without getting bad cuts on both his sides from
the sharp edges of the staves. Until this day the tiger has stripes on
both his sides.
Source: http://fairytalesandfolklore.com/tale.php?tale=519

That's it. 
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BRAZILIAN CULTURE: HOW THE RABBIT LOST HIS TAIL

Hej
How are you?
It's almost October already, wtf. Time, what are you doing? Stahp!
By the way, I don't know why the fuck there are tales about rabbits in Brazilian mythology, but I like rabbits, so I don't care.

 Once upon a time, ages and ages ago, the rabbit had a long tail, but
the cat had none. She looked with envious eyes at the one which the
rabbit had. It was exactly the sort of a tail she longed to have.
 The rabbit was always a thoughtless careless little beast. One day he
went to sleep with his beautiful long tail hanging straight out behind
him. Along came Mistress Puss carrying a sharp knife, and with one
blow she cut off Mr. Rabbit's tail. Mistress Puss was very spry and
she had the tail nearly sewed on to her own body before Mr. Rabbit
saw what she was doing.
 "Don't you think it looks better on me than it did on you?" asked
Mistress Puss.
 "It surely is very becoming to you," replied the generous unselfish
rabbit. "It was a little too long for me anyway and I'll tell you what
I'll do. I'll let you keep it if you will give me that sharp knife in
exchange for it."
 The cat gave Mr. Rabbit the knife and he started out into the deep
forest with it. "I've lost my tail but I've gained a knife," said he;
"I'll get a new tail or something else just as good."
 Mr. Rabbit hopped along through the forest for a long time and at last
he came to a little old man who was busily engaged in making baskets.
He was making the baskets out of rushes and he was biting them off
with his teeth. He looked up and spied Mr. Rabbit with the knife in
his mouth.
 "O, please, Mr. Rabbit," said he, "will you not be so kind as to let
me borrow that sharp knife you are carrying? It is very hard work to
bite the rushes off with my teeth."
 Mr. Rabbit let him take the knife. He started to cut off the rushes
with it, when _snap_ went the knife! It broke into halves.
 "O, dear! O, dear!" cried Mr. Rabbit. "What shall I do! What shall I
do! You have broken my nice new knife."
 The little old man said that he was very sorry and that he did not
mean to do it.
 Then Mr. Rabbit said, "A broken knife is of no use to me but perhaps
you can use it, even if it is broken. I'll tell you what I'll do.
I'll let you keep the knife if you will give me one of your baskets in
exchange for it."
 The little old man gave Mr. Rabbit a basket and he started on through
the deep forest with it. "I lost my tail but I gained a knife. I've
lost my knife but I've gained a basket," said he. "I'll get a new tail
or something else just as good."
 Mr. Rabbit hopped along through the deep forest for a long time until
at last he came to a clearing. Here there was an old woman busily
engaged in picking lettuce. When she had gathered it she put it into
her apron. She looked up and spied Mr. Rabbit hopping along with his
basket.
 "O, please, Mr. Rabbit," said she, "will you not be so kind as to let
me borrow that nice basket you are carrying?"
 Mr. Rabbit let her take the basket. She began to put her lettuce into
it when out fell the bottom of the basket.
 "O, dear! O, dear!" cried Mr. Rabbit. "What shall I do! What shall I
do! You have broken the bottom out of my nice new basket."
 The old woman said that she was very sorry and that she did not mean
to do it.
 Then said Mr. Rabbit, "I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll let you keep
that broken basket if you will give me some of your lettuce."
 The old woman gave Mr. Rabbit some lettuce and he hopped along with
it, saying, "I lost my tail but I gained a knife. I lost my knife but
I gained a basket. I lost my basket but I gained some lettuce."
 The rabbit was getting very hungry and how nice the lettuce smelled!
He took a bite. It was just the very best thing he had ever tasted in
all his life. "I don't care if I did lose my tail," said he, "I've
found something I like very much better."
 From that day to this no rabbit has ever had a tail. Neither has there
ever been a rabbit who cared because he had no tail. From that time to
this there has never been a rabbit who did not like lettuce to eat and
who was not perfectly happy and contented if there was plenty of it.
Source: http://fairytalesandfolklore.com/tale.php?tale=521

And that's it. I really love this tale, it's so cute
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BRAZILIAN CULTURE: HOW NIGHT CAME

Hej 
How are you guys?
I hope I'll never have to write five texts again. Not on the same day. Really. @.@
Oh well, no one gives a fuck, I know, let's go to the tale, right?

 Years and years ago at the very beginning of time, when the world had
just been made, there was no night. It was day all the time. No one
had ever heard of sunrise or sunset, starlight or moonbeams. There
were no night birds, nor night beasts, nor night flowers. There were
no lengthening shadows, nor soft night air, heavy with perfume.
 In those days the daughter of the GREAT SEA SERPENT, who dwelt in the
depths of the seas, married one of the sons of the great earth race
known as MAN. She left her home among the shades of the deep seas and
came to dwell with her husband in the land of daylight. Her eyes grew
weary of the bright sunlight and her beauty faded. Her husband watched
her with sad eyes, but he did not know what to do to help her.
 "O, if night would only come," she moaned as she tossed about wearily
on her couch. "Here it is always day, but in my father's kingdom there
are many shadows. O, for a little of the darkness of night!"
 Her husband listened to her moanings. "What is night?" he asked her.
"Tell me about it and perhaps I can get a little of it for you."
 "Night," said the daughter of the GREAT SEA SERPENT, "is the name we
give to the heavy shadows which darken my father's kingdom in the
depths of the seas. I love the sunlight of your earth land, but I grow
very weary of it. If we could have only a little of the darkness of my
father's kingdom to rest our eyes part of the time."
 Her husband at once called his three most faithful slaves. "I am about
to send you on a journey," he told them. "You are to go to the kingdom
of the GREAT SEA SERPENT who dwells in the depths of the seas and ask
him to give you some of the darkness of night that his daughter may
not die here amid the sunlight of our earth land."
 The three slaves set forth for the kingdom of the GREAT SEA SERPENT.
After a long dangerous journey they arrived at his home in the depths
of the seas and asked him to give them some of the shadows of night
to carry back to the earth land. The GREAT SEA SERPENT gave them a big
bag full at once. It was securely fastened and the GREAT SEA SERPENT
warned them not to open it until they were once more in the presence
of his daughter, their mistress.
 The three slaves started out, bearing the big bag full of night upon
their heads. Soon they heard strange sounds within the bag. It was the
sound of the voices of all the night beasts, all the night birds, and
all the night insects. If you have ever heard the night chorus from
the jungles on the banks of the rivers you will know how it sounded.
The three slaves had never heard sounds like those in all their lives.
They were terribly frightened.
 "Let us drop the bag full of night right here where we are and run
away as fast as we can," said the first slave.
 "We shall perish. We shall perish, anyway, whatever we do," cried the
second slave.
 "Whether we perish or not I am going to open the bag and see what
makes all those terrible sounds," said the third slave.
 Accordingly they laid the bag on the ground and opened it. Out rushed
all the night beasts and all the night birds and all the night insects
and out rushed the great black cloud of night. The slaves were more
frightened than ever at the darkness and escaped to the jungle.
 The daughter of the GREAT SEA SERPENT was waiting anxiously for the
return of the slaves with the bag full of night. Ever since they had
started out on their journey she had looked for their return, shading
her eyes with her hand and gazing away off at the horizon, hoping with
all her heart that they would hasten to bring the night. In that
position she was standing under a royal palm tree, when the three
slaves opened the bag and let night escape. "Night comes. Night comes
at last," she cried, as she saw the clouds of night upon the horizon.
Then she closed her eyes and went to sleep there under the royal palm
tree.
 When she awoke she felt greatly refreshed. She was once more the happy
princess who had left her father's kingdom in the depths of the great
seas to come to the earth land. She was now ready to see the day
again. She looked up at the bright star shining above the royal palm
tree and said, "O, bright beautiful star, henceforth you shall be
called the morning star and you shall herald the approach of day. You
shall reign queen of the sky at this hour."
 Then she called all the birds about her and said to them, "O,
wonderful, sweet singing birds, henceforth I command you to sing your
sweetest songs at this hour to herald the approach of day." The cock
was standing by her side. "You," she said to him, "shall be appointed
the watchman of the night. Your voice shall mark the watches of the
night and shall warn the others that the _madrugada_ comes." To this
very day in Brazil we call the early morning the _madrugada_. The cock
announces its approach to the waiting birds. The birds sing their
sweetest songs at that hour and the morning star reigns in the sky as
queen of the "madrugada".
 When it was daylight again the three slaves crept home through the
forests and jungles with their empty bag.
 "O, faithless slaves," said their master, "why did you not obey the
voice of the GREAT SEA SERPENT and open the bag only in the presence
of his daughter, your mistress? Because of your disobedience I shall
change you into monkeys. Henceforth you shall live in the trees. Your
lips shall always bear the mark of the sealing wax which sealed the
bag full of night."
 To this very day one sees the mark upon the monkeys' lips, where they
bit off the wax which sealed the bag; and in Brazil night leaps out
quickly upon the earth just as it leapt quickly out of the bag in
those days at the beginning of time. And all the night beasts and
night birds and night insects give a sunset chorus in the jungles at
nightfall.

Source: http://fairytalesandfolklore.com/tale.php?tale=522

That's it. Time to go to my flute lessons haha

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