Christmas Eve in Brazil

24th December 1996 Tuesday Day 1 in Brazil

Transportation is very efficient in Curitiba. In front our hotel is always taxi ready for service. We paid R$6 (Rm 19.00) to get to Flower Street - the street I always go for dinner and relaxation each business trip to Curitiba factories.

Rua de Flores, the pedestrian-only street full of shops and restaurants. Sede da Universidade Federal do Paraná

Attracted by this outstanding decoration in the Flower Street, we each in turn take a snap shot as remembrance.

We were not interested what this shop sales, after all it was closed after business hours for tonight Christmas Eve. We were interested only the twinkering lights against a large panel of real red Christmas leaves.

Big effort put into unique Christmas decorations means serious business behind. True enough, we learn later that O Boticário is the world’s largest perfumery cosmetics franchising network. This shop in Flower Street is only one of its 2,000 over stores in Brazil.

• Official O Boticário International Web site
• O Boticário Foudation

"Flower Street" is the nick name. The official name is "Rua XV de Novembro" (15th of November Street)

A major street in downtown Curitiba. This street is the first pedestrian streets in Brazil inaugurated in 1972.

Here, tourists welcomed with pots of flowers, restaurants and hundred-year-old buildings.

I come here each time for the street artists - the mimes and clowns who interact with those who pass by, who bring back some joy to my heart after a hard day work.

Thought my life in South America is amusing, my work is full of risk and demanding. To satisfy the Taiwanese market's strong demand of "South American Parquet", my job as their quality controller is always under strong pressure.

After a hard day's work, sitting in one of the bench in Flower Street watching the clowns creating joke and fun out of the innocent passing by is a great fun in life.

...Look! A big old fat lady carrying lot of heavy shopping begs coming the way of Flower Street.

"Why every one is looking and smiling at me?" She is wondering but continues walking but a quick check on the zip of her skirt and double checking other obvious part of her dress.

Before long she realized that it was what behind her every one are looking and smiling at. She gave a sudden turn of her head and frightens herself by seeing a short skinny creature with big red nose wearing a too big multi color suit pretending looking for something in the empty air. Now every thing is clear to her, this funny fellow had been following and imitating her walking action all the way as a joke. To release her great unpleasment, her unload the shopping begs to the other arm, held up her big feast and gave a heavy empty punch to the big red nose and continue her walking while the small crown "dropped death" on the pedestrian street with his big red noise pointing toward the blue sky..................

Most by standers amused will smile except a few ill-mannered visitors will give a big laugh like me as appreciation of a good street art well performed.

Located at Tiradentes Square, the beautiful Catedral Basílica Menor de Nossa Senhora da Luz of Curitiba was built from 1876 to 1893, in neo-Gothic style, inspired in the Igreja da Sé of Barcelona. The Cathedral is dedicated and has an image of Nossa Senhora da Luz dos Pinhais, Saint Patron of Curitiba. It was founded on March 29th, 1693 and it is considered the most important construction on Tiradentes Square.