Polish Brazilian
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Polish Brazilian is a Brazilian-born person of Polish descent, or a Polish-born person with Brazilian citizenship. The number of Polish descendants in Brazil is estimated at 1.5 million.
[edit] Immigration
The Polish immigration to Brazil has not been as large as the immigration of Portuguese or Italians. However, a significant numbers of Poles have settled in Brazil. The first immigrants arrived in 1869 and until 1920, it is estimated that over 60,000 Poles migrated to Brazil, 95% of whom were peasants. The State of Paraná received the majority of Polish immigrants, who settled mainly in the region of Curitiba, in the towns of Mallet, Cruz Machado, São Matheus do Sul, Irati, and União da Vitória.
Most Polish immigrants to Brazil were Catholics who arrived between 1870-1920 and worked as small farmers in the State of Paraná (Southern Brazil). Others went to the neighboring states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. After the 1920s, many Polish Jews immigrated seeking refuge from Europe, settling mainly in the State of São Paulo. Today most Brazilian Jews are of Polish descent.
[edit] Polish culture in Brazil
The State of Paraná still remains a strong influence from the Polish culture. Many small towns have a majority of Polish-descendants and the Polish language is spoken by some of them, although nowadays most Polish Brazilians only speak Portuguese. The city of Curitiba has the second largest Polish diaspora in the world (after Chicago's) and Polish music, dishes and culture are quite common in the region.
