Gay Brazil is the place to find all your gay Brazil, gay Sao Paulo, and gay Rio information on clubs, bars, saunas and hotels.: RIO GRANDE DO SUL AND PORTO ALEGRE - Gay Brazil is the place to find all your gay Brazil, gay Sao Paulo, and gay Rio information on clubs, bars, saunas and hotels.

RIO GRANDE DO SUL AND PORTO ALEGRE


While the Portuguese Empire struggled with the problem of owning too much land in the South of Brazil and virtually nobody to occupy it, in the Azores Islands, the situation was the opposite: way too much people for such little space. In face of this situation, the Crown decided to promote the immigration of Portuguese couples from the Azores to the regions of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, in the mid 18th Century, a decision that should take care of both problems. After the Azoreans came the “milicianos”, Portuguese and their descents already living in São Paulo and Minas Gerais, attracted by the salary offered by the government and also by the possibility of receiving land after a certain period of time they would serve as members of the Portuguese army, now forced to deal with a Spanish invasion of Rio Grande do Sul territory (1763).

The first villages of Rio Grande do Sul can be dated to this time frame: Encruzilhada (1770), Pelotas (1780), Erval (1791 - this one emerged around a military camp), Caçapava and Canguçu (1780), São Gabriel (1790), São Sepe (1794) and Depressão Central (a military camp established in 1727, who, later on, gave origin to the settlement of Santa Maria). These settlements were of significant strategic importance, for they warranted the Portuguese presence in the region.

During the 19th Century, Rio Grande do Sul was the Brazilian state with the most positive results in its colonization program, a process that can be divided in to three phases. The first phase, from 1808 to 1830, had the Imperial Government stimulating it, adopting special measures to make it work, like giving away land to colonizers willing to leave Europe and settle in Terra Brasilis. The second phase, from 1830 to 1848 is, in fact, the suspension of all incentives to European colonizers. During this phase, the Portuguese Crown signed a decree canceling all credits destined to the program, so whom ever came during this phase had to finance their establishment in the new country. Needless to say, immigration during these 18 years did not happened in impressive numbers. The last period, still under the Portuguese Crown went from 1848 to 1889 (a coup d’état in 1889 removed the Emperor from its throne and installed a Republican type of government), a time marked by a new attitude of the central government, who now changed its mind and decided to incentive immigration. This phase was a more aggressive one, for the government now urged to substitute slave labor with free, paid labor.

The majority of immigrants who came to Rio Grande do Sul went to live in established colonies, meaning they would receive (free of cost, in the beginning) or buy rural pieces of land, based on conditions previously agreed by the parts, conditions which determined the time they had to pay for the land and also how long they had to live and work the land before they could sell it.

The first immigrants to land in Rio Grande do Sul, during the 19th Century colonization program were Germans (1824) who, at their arrival, didn’t have a defined territory to occupy: they would spontaneously group in a certain region and built around what they would call a Stadplätze. It was only during the 70’s (1870) that a specific territory or space was reserved, by the government, to accommodate an immigrant settlement. The Germans were fast in organizing themselves: as soon as they came and choose the land to be occupied, they’d start building their villas, churches and little stores. During the first 50 years of German immigration, some 30 thousand immigrants arrived in Rio Grande do Sul, most of them farmers who came to work the land. Their task was no small one, for they would form a class of small land owners and free artisans in a society divided between slave owners and slaves!.

The German colonizers were offered each 50 hectares of land with cows, bulls and horses, a stipend of one franc per person in the first year, and half of that in the second year; exemption from taxes and services during the first ten years, exemption from military service, immediate naturalization and freedom to practice their religions. When it came to land, they received more than what was promised, 77 hectares. However, the two last items of the package were never delivered due to constitutional impediments: there was no fast naturalization and their new country had a State religion, Catholicism.

These first German colonizers came from Holstein, Hamburg, Hannover, Mecklenburg, Hunsrüch and Palatine. Later on they also came from Pomerania, Westphalia, Wurtemburg and Bohemia. The majority were Protestants. From 1824 to 1914, over 50 thousand Germans settled in Rio Grande do Sul, creating 142 successful colonies.
An Interesting Curiosity

Though most people don’t know the difference, the Pomeranians who immigrated to Brazil are not Germans. They came from a region in Europe divided, many centuries ago, among Prussia, Sweden and Poland. In the 19th Century, during their departure, their land was occupied by Austria, Prussia and Russia. During the 19th Century the Russian Czar adopted a policy of forceful russianization of the country, and as a consequence thousands of Pomeranians fled their country, taking refuge in Germany and other European countries. The ones that stayed behind decided to mix and mingle with the rest of the population, in order to avoid prosecution, while the ones that took refuge in other European countries ended up losing their culture and language, today officially considered dead by linguists. The result of the Pomeranian saga is that their language is now only spoken in Brazil, for the isolation to which they were submitted was of great help when it came to the preservation of their language and culture. In Rio Grande do Sul, the most important Pomeranian colony is located in Harmonia, where 99% of its inhabitants are Pomeranians. Other two colonies can be found in Santa Catarina and Espírito Santo states. They all speak Pomeranian, though they can’t write it. The recuperation of this language in its written and spoken form is certainly a very important project for any group of linguists interested in dead languages and dialects, though there is little time left, in case any university out there is interested: the Pomeranian children born today, in Brazil, speak less and less of the language and the old generations who still manage it are disappearing.

Though they are generally called Germans by other Brazilians, Pomeranians and Germans maintain a distant, cold relationship, probably due to the fact that they were poorer than the Germans, less educated and, to this day, still working the land, planting potatoes and – lately - tobacco.

The Italians
Italian colonizers arrived in Rio Grande do Sul in 1871, establishing, at first, four main colonies: Garibaldi, Bento Gonçalves, Caxias and Silveira Martins. Later on, more Italian colonies were added: Alfredo Chaves, São Marcos, Antonio Prado (1885), Mariana Pimentel, Barão do Triunfo, Vila Nova de Santo Antonio (1888), Jaguari (1889), Ernesto Alves (1890) and Marquês de Herval (1891). After the Proclamation of the Republic (1889) the government tried to force etnic integration creating mixed colonies but the idea never prospered, for the immigrants tended to move away, regrouping and sticking together with their own nationalities.

The Italians also had to work the land they received, only this time they weren’t getting as much as the Germans did. Their lots were significantly smaller, measuring from 15 to 35 hectares. Since they were wine producers, Italians ended up creating the fine wine industry in Brazil, non-existent before their arrival.

Italians who immigrated to Brazil came from the North: Piemonte, Lombardia and Veneto, particularly from the provinces of Vicenza, Treviso and Verona. Later on, Italians from Cremona, Mantua and Brescia followed the first groups. A second wave came from Bergamo, Trento, Trentino Alto Agide, and Friuli-Venezia Julia. It is calculated that 54% of Italians who came to Rio Grande do Sul were from Veneto, 33% were from Lombardia, 7% were Trentians, 4.5% Friulians while the remaining 1.5% came from other regions. Between 1871 and 1914 over 100,000 Italians immigrated to Rio Grande do Sul alone. The fusion of the several dialects spoken by these immigrants gave way to a new dialect they call Veneto.

Other waves of immigrants settled in Rio Grande do Sul, like Jews, due to the sole initiative of a German Jew, Baron Maurice de Hirsch. De Hirsch created, in 1891, the Jewish Colonization Association to facilitate mass emigration of Jews from Russia to agricultural colonies, particularly in Brazil and Argentina. Eventually these Jewish immigrants left the country side for cities like Porto Alegre, Rio Grande and Pelotas, where they could better educate their children, since the country side didn’t provide education past the elementary school level.

In Porto Alegre, capital of the state, the first synagogue was founded in 1910, the União Israelita Porto-Alegrense. The Centro Israelita, a second synagogue, was created in 1917. They came from Russia and also from several European countries. In 1930’s Polish and German Jews began to emigrate to Brazil, many of them settling in Rio Grande do Sul, a movement intensified by the emergence of Nazism in Germany.

Besides Germans and Italians, Rio Grande do Sul received significant numbers of Swiss, Belgians, Polish, Russians, Hungarians, Austrians, Irish, Norwegians, French, Swedish, Ukrainians, Finnish, Czechs, Yugoslavs, Dutch and American immigrants.

Porto Alegre, the Capital
Porto Alegre emerged from a small colony of Azorean immigrants, established in a location called Ponta de Pedra in 1752. From this time on the colony was called Porto dos Casais (Couple’s Port). In 1772 an ecclesiastic edit divides the colony in two distinct administrations, and Porto dos Casais became Freguesia de São Francisco. One year after that, a new decree rename the colony Madre de Deus de Porto Alegre, who now becomes the capital of the province. In 1809, it was elevated to the category of villa and in 1822 it acquires status of city.

Today Porto Alegre is a thriving city of 1.5 million people, with a very agitated life and one of the best nightlife in the country. The city has 31 theatres and dozens of cinemas, most of which are located in malls (called in Brazil “shopping centers”), meaning you always have the option of complementing your chosen movie session with some shopping, a visit to an art gallery or dinner in one of the many excellent restaurants located nearby.

Boat trips are another popular way of having fun. If you choose such a relaxing program you can catch your boat in six different locations. We recommend the Passeio de Barco ao Farol de Itapuã, at Avenida Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes, 06, in Itapuã/Viamão, because this one has a more comprehensive schedule, functioning daily from 9am to 3pm. If you like to make your own schedule, try Seival and Turistinha, this one works by appointment only. The boat leaves from Usina do Gasometro and the numbers to call are 9818-2274 or 9961-2926. Usina do Gasometro is also a public space, with alternative cinema, exhibitions and street fairs, so this is the place you want to be if your idea is mingling with the locals and being informed about what’s going on in the city.

Porto Alegre has a “tourism line”, taking foreign tourists around the city in double deck buses, with announcements and descriptions of the visited sites also in English. The trip lasts about 80 minutes, crossing the most important historic, cultural and natural attractions of Porto Alegre, like the Parque da Redenção, Praça da Matriz, Mercado Publico, Casa da Cultura Mario Quintana, Parque Moinhos de Vento e Parque Marinha Brasil. You don’t want to miss this opportunity, the price for the tour is only R$7.00 (about U$3.50 in March 2006). Tickets can be purchased at Central de Atendimento, located in Travessia do Carmo, 84, Cidade Baixa.

When it comes to gay life, Porto Alegre offers lots of fun and good times. The beaches, for instance, are well known sites for cruising, and the most beautiful ones are Guaíba, particularly near Ipanema neighborhood, in the city South Zone. The Rua da Praia will take you to Feirinha da Cidade Antiga, a street fair (Saturdays only) where you can try different foods from dozens of different countries. When you reach Praça da Alfândega, look for “banheirão público” (public restrooms), a ‘point’ well known by gays in search of “significant experiences” (in Portuguese, “babados fortissimos”). In this same direction, you’ll reach Paço Municipal and Mercado Publico, two spots always packed with people, restaurants, bars and shopping, an excellent location to meet new people and pass the time.

At night, Rua José Bonifácio, in the Bom Fim neighborhood, is cruised by those trying to meet that gorgeous guy or simply pick a program boy for the evening. This street is located near two parks known for very serious cruising, Parque Farroupilha and Parque Redenção.

If you want to hit the scene at bars and nightclubs, try “Cabaret Indiscretus” (Rua Ernesto Alves, 169, Floresta) which offers dark room, shows, strippers and video-rooms. Open from Wednesday to Sunday, from 12 midnight. “Era Uma Vez” is another good idea, a bar-nightclub-restaurant with shows, beautiful boys, suites and regular rooms. Open at 8:00pm from Wednesday to Saturday. Avenida Brasil, 132, corner with Rua Voluntários da Pátria.

“Metro Bar” is a bar with music and locals as its main attraction, considered a preparation session if you are going to “Era Uma Vez” later on. Avenida Farrapos (in front of Estação Farrapos do Transurb), São Geraldo. “Garrafas” is another good option, a bar for happy hour. Open every day from 6:00pm until the last client. Rua da República, 191, Cidade Baixa. “Ocidente” offers Indian lunch on Sundays and functions as a discothéque on Fridays and Saturdays, opening at 10:00pm.

“Vitraux Club” is a bar, nightclub and restaurant, where you can enjoy shows and strippers. Opened Fridays and Saturdays, from 11:00pm, and Sundays, from 8:00pm. Rua Conceição, 492, Centro. “Refugiu’s Mega Danceteria” offers a different ambient, a cyber café with high speed internet and a dark room. Open Fridays and Saturdays, from 11:00pm. Rua Marcilio Dias, 290.

If you feel like relaxing in a good sauna, with a beautiful program boy on the side, try Thermas Harena or Thermas Plataforma, both open daily from 3:00pm to midnight. Thermas Harena is located at Rua Buarque de Macedo, 54, São Geraldo. Thermas Plataforma: Rua Pernambuco, 2765, Navegantes.

Barros Cassal is a less obvious sauna (no boys) but never less effective. Monday to Friday from 1:30pm to 10:30pm. Sundays and holidays, from 2:00pm to 11:30pm. Rua Barros Cassal, 496, Bairro Independência.

Porto Alegre is a very open city with a well organized gay militancy. Grupo Nuances, formed in 1991, is at the vanguard of the gay movement in the state, sponsored by the Health Ministry and even UNESCO (no kidding!).

Rio Grande do Sul never falls behind its capital, when it comes to hospitality to gays, offering many options to gay tourists in all of its major cities like Pelotas, Caxias do Sul, Canoas, Santa Maria, Gramado, Canela Novo Hamburgo, São Leopoldo and Bento Gonçalves. The gauchos – inhabitants of Rio Grande do Sul – are known for their enthusiastic hospitality and will do anything to make you feel at home.

Having said that, what are you waiting for? Next time you come to Brazil visit Rio Grande do Sul and, at least, Porto Alegre, the Happy Port. After all, how can you go wrong with a city who has the word “happy” as part of its name?...

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