German Culture

Brazil vs Germany in the WM semi-final tonight, and throughout the country viewers, many in towns and villages looking much like this, will be rooting for the German team. As they will be in this town, which is thousands of miles away from Europe. It's Pomerode in Brazil. German immigrants, mainly from Pomerania in what is now mostly Poland, colonized the area in 1863 and until the mid-1990s almost everyone spoke German or Pomeranian. Even now, despite an influx of workers from other areas through a recent growth in local industry, between 60 to 70 per cent speak the languages. Many will watch the game in the town’s three bars: Curry Wurst, Schornstein and Opa Boteco. 92 percent of the townspeople have German heritage, there is 'Hausmannskost' from Eisbein to sauerkraut, coffee and cake in the afternoon, craft beer. German music is heard everywhere and of course groups have their own 'Stammtisch', while the week of 'Festa pomerana“, a bit like a small Munich Oktoberfest, is celebrated by townspeople dressed in Trachten and accompanied by 'Oompa Bands'. This "most typically German of all German towns of southern Brazil" is just 500 miles south-west of Rio de Janeiro. Photo of Pomerode with its Lutheran Church foradomapa.com.br German Culture