ABSTRACT
In spite of stressful lives often lacking in material comforts, Brazilians seem to emphasize their carefree and optimistic side. National culture—at least in its public manifestations—manages to cast off hardship and enjoy life enthusiastically. Nowhere is this more evident than as a function of the Brazilian calendar, filled with tiring workdays and long hours but also, almost more than any other country in the world, crammed with holidays, festivities, and seasonal celebrations capped by the annual exuberance of Carnival.
