Did you know that in every place there is at least one icon? My culture element, icon, deals with both material and non-material culture because it is build up in people's minds and also because you can touch it. Just in case you don’t really get it, here’s the definition of icon. Normally, it is an image or picture that causes an emotion reaction or people. 

I’ m going to talk to you about the Brazilian coat of arms, the national anthem and about the national flag. The Brazilian coat of arms is a five-pointed yellow-and-green star with a blue circle in the middle. It has a coffee plant on the right. On the blue circle, there are twenty-seven white stars representing twenty-six states and the Brazilian federal district (Where the central government is located in Brazilia.). There’s a blue ribbon stating “Republica Federativa do Brasil” and “15 de novembro de 1889”. 

Now I’ m going to talk about the national anthem. The national anthem was officially adopted in 1922 and it was composed by Francisco Manuel and written by Osório Duque Estrada. Some of of the first words of the national anthem are: 

"Ouviram do Ipiranga às margens plácidas
De um povo heróico o brado retumbante,
E o sol da liberdade, em raios, fúlgidos,
Brilhou no céu da Pátria nesse instante’’

Which means: 

"The peaceful banks of the Ipiranga
Heard the resounding cry of an heroic people,
And the dazzling rays of the sun of Liberty
Bathed our country in their brilliant light."

Last, but not least, I’ m going to talk about the national flag. The Brazilian national flag has a yellow diamond on a green background. The green is for its vegetation and the yellow for its wealth in gold. On the flag there is a dark blue sphere with a white stripe with the words “Ordem e Progresso”, which means order and progress that shows a positive outlook.  The blue sphere with stars means the beautiful blue sky full of stars and constellations. The most famous is the “cruseiro do sul” Now you know very importing things about Brazil, like the coat of arms, the national flag and about the national anthem.

--J.M.V