Scandinavian Brazilians ( pt, escandinavo-brasileiro) refers to Brazilians of full or partial

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

n ancestry, or Scandinavian-born people residing in Brazil. The Scandinavian settlement in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

began in the mid to late 19th century and was predominant when around 3,640 Scandinavian peoples arrived in Brazil, mainly from Sweden. Many Scandinavians came to Brazil for economic reasons and to start a new life. In recent years, a few

Norwegians Norwegians ( no, nordmenn) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nation native to Norway, where they form the vast majority of the population. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegians are descended from the N ...

and Swedes have migrated to the

littoral zone The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal a ...

of the State of

Rio Grande do Norte Rio Grande do Norte (, , ) is one of the states of Brazil. It is located in the northeastern region of the country, forming the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. The name literally translates as "Great Northern River", re ...

(mainly

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

) and Ceará, attracted by the beaches and the tropical climate.

History

Daniel Solander Daniel Carlsson Solander or Daniel Charles Solander (19 February 1733 – 13 May 1782) was a Swedish naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus. Solander was the first university-educated scientist to set foot on Australian soil. Biography ...

became the first Swedish person to ever visit Brazil when he came to the country in 1768. Mass emigration from

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

started circa 1865–1866, after the civil war was over. Several ship-owners saw the opportunity to earn good money by transporting migrants to the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

. United States, Canada and Brazil received many

. In

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná in Brazil. The city's population was 1,948,626 , making it the eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in Brazil's South Region. The Curitiba Metropolitan area ...

, one of the first Scandinavians of note to arrive was

Alfredo Andersen Alfred Emil Andersen, known as Alfredo (3 November 1860, Kristiansand - 9 August 1935, Curitiba) was a Norwegian-born painter, sculptor, scenographer and art professor, who spent most of his life in Brazil. He is sometimes referred to as the "Fathe ...

, an artist who arrived towards the end of the 19th century and painted well into the 1930s. The Museu Alfredo Andersen contains much of his work, located in

Paraná (state) Paraná () is one of the 26 states of Brazil, in the south of the country, bordered on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the province of Misiones, Argentina, and on the ...

. In addition, Icelandic immigrants settled there in 1863 and again in 1873. Probably the largest concentration of Swedish immigrants in Brazil is located in the area of

Missões Missões, Brazil is a region of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil roughly occupying the same area previously dominated by the colonial missions founded by Saint Roque González. The ''Missões'' region is located in the northwestern part of the state ...

in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, where in the late 1800s 200 Swedish families moved to the city of

Guarani das Missões Guarani das Missões is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Guarani das Missões calls itself the ''Polish Capital of Rio Grande do Sul'' because it was settled primarily by Polish immigrants, starting over one century ago. ...

. Examples of this immigration are the Karlson House (Casa Sueca) in Guarani das Missões, the Svenska Kulturhuset in the district of Linha Jansen (Farroupilha, RS), the Mission of Örebro in Venancio Aires, RS. Swedish cultural groups include the Ovenska Danser ballet of

Ijuí Ijuí () is a Brazilian municipality of Rio Grande do Sul, situated from the state capital, Porto Alegre. In 2020 its population was 83,764, making it the third most populous city of the Missões region, behind Passo Fundo and Erechim. Demogr ...

, RS and the Ballet Patrícia Johnson of Bento Gonçalves, RS. In April 2010, the City of Nova Roma, RS celebrated the 120th anniversary of the Swedish immigration to the city. Earlier, in 1991, the city of Ijui, RS celebrated the immigration of the Scandinavians to their city (mainly Swedes) with the opening of a Swedish Cultural Center in the city. There was also significant immigration of Swedish and

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

citizens to São João da Boa Vista, in the state of

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

. In the 1920s, Danish immigrants in rural parts of Aiuruoca laid the foundation for the modern Brazilian cheese production.

Religion and culture

The Scandinavian Church in

is a part of ''The Swedish Church Abroad'' (SKUT) – which belongs to the

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...

. They offer services for Scandinavians or persons with Scandinavian related interests. They have

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

es in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

and

.Scandinavian Church in São Paulo, Brazil
/ref> The

Norwegian Church Abroad The Norwegian Church Abroad or ''The Norwegian Seamen’s Church'' ( no, Sjømannskirken) is a religious organisation serving Norwegians and other Scandinavians travelling abroad. Founded in 1864, The Norwegian Seamen’s Mission – Sjømannsmisjo ...

or The Norwegian Seamen's Church is located in Rio de Janeiro. The Norwegian Church Abroad or The Norwegian Seamen's Church (Norwegian: Sjømannskirken) is a religious organisation serving Norwegians and other Scandinavians travelling abroad. Founded in 1864, The Norwegian Seamen's Mission – Sjømannsmisjonen – was established to secure the moral and religious education of Scandinavian seafarers, but also to give them "breathing room" where a fellow countryman was available to lend an ear and give some attention. Today, the churches and their staff together with travelling pastors around the globe represent a "resource center" for all Norwegians travelling internationally. Also, over time, many of the Scandinavians have converted to Roman Catholicism, or more recently, other forms of

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

Notable Scandinavian Brazilians

Peter Wilhelm Lund Peter Wilhelm Lund (14 June 1801 – 25 May 1880) was a Danish paleontologist, zoologist, and archeologist. He spent most of his life working and living in Brazil. He is considered the father of Brazilian paleontology as well as archaeology. He ...

, palaeontologist and zoologist *

Erling Lorentzen Erling Sven Lorentzen (28 January 1923 – 9 March 2021) was a Norwegian-Brazilian shipowner and industrialist. He founded Aracruz Celulose in 1968. He was the widower of Princess Ragnhild, the eldest child of King Olav V of Norway. In additio ...

, industrialist *

Robert Scheidt Robert Scheidt (born April 15, 1973) is a Brazilian sailor who has won two gold medals, two silver medals and a bronze from five Olympic Games and a Star Sailors League Final. He is one of the most successful sailors at Olympic Games and one of t ...

, professional sailor *

Bob Burnquist Robert Dean Silva Burnquist (; born 10 October 1976) is a Brazilian-American professional skateboarder who competed for Brazil throughout his career. In 2010, he became the first skateboarder to land a "fakie 900" (900-degree reverse-natural r ...

, professional skateboarder *

Rinaldo de Lamare Rinaldo de Lamare (1910 in Santos, São Paulo – 2002 in Rio de Janeiro) was a Brazilian physician who specialized in pediatrics and a writer of books on child health and care for the general public. His family was of Danish and Norman origins. ...

, pediatric physician * Torben Grael, professional sailor *

Lars Grael Lars Schmidt Grael (born February 9, 1964 in São Paulo) is a Brazilian politician and former professional sailor, having won two Olympic bronze medals (in 1988 and 1996). His brother, Torben Grael, is also a sailor. Together they won t ...

, politician and former professional sailor * Erik Bagger, goldsmith * Augusto Bruno Nielson and Eugênio Nielson, founders of the "Nielson Bus" bodies in Brazil (

Busscar Busscar Ônibus S.A. was a Brazilian bus manufacturer that built coaches, trolleybuses, charter and tour buses, founded on 17 September 1946. The company was based in Joinville in the south of Brazil, where it had industrial premises that cover ...

) * , religious leader * Amyr Klink, explorer and sailor * Lars Sigurd Björkström, professional sailor * Manuel Bergström Lourenço Filho, educator * Monique Olsen, fashion model *

Princess Ragnhild of Norway Princess Ragnhild, Mrs Lorentzen (Ragnhild Alexandra; 9 June 1930 – 16 September 2012), was the eldest child of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. She was the older sister of King Harald V and Princess Astrid. She was the fi ...

Peter Dolving Peter Dolving (born 24 October 1969) is a Swedish vocalist now living in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. He is most commonly known as the former frontman of the metal band The Haunted. Career Dolving began as a singer-songwriter playing in cafes in ...

, musician and songwriter *

Jonathan Haagensen Jonathan Haagensen Cerqueira (born February 23, 1983) is a Brazilian actor, model, and singer. Life and career A resident of the Vidigal, Rio de Janeiro, Vidigal community since his birth, he has Norway, Norwegian ancestry from his father, who h ...

, actor and model * Phellipe Haagensen, actor

References

{{Swedish diaspora * European Brazilian

Brazilian Brazilian

History

Religion and culture

Notable Scandinavian Brazilians

See also

References