Bribery is a common practice in Brazil, the land of football and samba: 10 million people attend carnivals here, 3 ways to kiss

Year- 1964 Venue- Rio de Janeiro Famous French actress Bridget Bardo, who is said to be the most beautiful woman in the world, arrived in Brazil. To please her as she is from France, the hotel manager ordered a special dish from her country, but she got stuck in airport customs. At that time Brazil's customs rules were very strict. There were strict restrictions on the import of food items. Paperwork had to be done to release the goods, which took time. In such a situation, there was a fear of spoiling the food. For this, the hotel manager took another route. The manager befriended the customs officials, gifting them cigars and alcohol, allowing the food to pass through the customs. The case became so popular in that era that the media named it 'Zeitinho Brigitte Bardo'. The 17th BRICS Summit is currently being held in Brazil. Famous for football, samba and carnivals, Brazil also has traditions such as jaitinho (Brazilian jugaad), beigeo (kiss) which are very popular. We will know about all this in the story... 'Zetinho Brasileiro' means Brazilian jugaad If seen, 'Zeitinho Brasileiro' is another way of bribing. Countries around the world have laws against bribery and there is a jail term for it. Bribery is also a crime in Brazil, but here Zetinho is not considered immoral. In Brazil, if someone's work gets stuck, they are asked to find a solution – 'Zeitinho Brasileiro'. In Zeitinho Brasileira, every possible method is tried to solve problems. How to make difficult tasks easier The practice of Zetinho in Brazil began during the colonial period (16th century). After the Portuguese occupied Brazil, they imposed their own rules and regulations there. These laws were adopted from Europe and were becoming difficult for brazilians. In such a situation, people developed the skills to get the work done by building good relations with the officials and paying small bribes. In the 20th century, this culture became so strong that people began to look for loopholes in the rules in every government or non-governmental process. In the nineties, Livia Barbosa explained this in detail in her book 'O Jaitleynho Brasilero'. How different is Jetinho from bribery? Understand it this way, you have to book a table at a famous restaurant in Brazil, but it was filled many days ago. In such a situation, you contact the restaurant manager through a friend and send a special imported wine as a gift for the manager. After this gift, the manager found the 'middle way' and canceled the booking of a VIP customer, giving space to the customer. This is Jaitinho. However, it is not necessary that you give a gift at Jetinho. Suppose you are standing in line in a government office and your number is 10th, but you have good friends with the patawala there. In such a situation, he calls you in as soon as he sees you. You have not broken any law, or paid bribes, you have only taken advantage of the relationship. This is called Jeitinho. However, sometimes people cross the line between jetinho and bribery. People give expensive gifts to complete their work. Operation Lava Jato, or 'Car Wash Operation', was Brazil's largest and most historic corruption scandal, which shook the political and business system of the whole of Brazil. Lula da Silva sentenced to 12 years in prison In 2014, Brazil's federal police launched an investigation into the car wash in the city of Kuritiba following indications of money laundering. This is how the Lava Jato operation got its name. The scam had its roots in Brazil's national oil company Petrobras. Many big construction companies paid huge bribes to Petrobras officials to get expensive contracts. The bribe also reached out to politicians and parties seeking favours in the government and parliament. It is estimated that the amount of bribery and fraud was more than 2 billion US dollars. In many of Petrobras' projects, costs were doubled and tripled so that brokers, companies and politicians could all take part. Many top business tycoons were caught up in this. For example, Marcelo Odebrecht, ceo of the Odebrecht company, was jailed. Former Brazilian President Lula da Silva was also accused of taking bribes from companies involved in the Petrobras scandal. It was alleged that a construction company called OAS bought Lula a luxury apartment and renovated it. In return, OAS received lucrative contracts from Petrobras. Lula da Silva was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Though he was later released by the Supreme Court, he had spent 19 months in jail. The Lava Jato scam became famous all over the world. Hundreds of people were jailed and billions of dollars were recovered. Lava Jat's disclosures were not limited to Brazil alone. In this, the Odebrecht company admitted to bribing leaders in many countries of Latin America, Africa and Europe. The effect of this was that there were protests in many countries including Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Angola. When the Portuguese conquered Brazil, they brought their customs with them. One of these customs was the practice of beigees, or the custom of kissing on the cheek. Brazil's wealthy and royal families followed the fashion of the European elite, who spread this custom. The problem with this is that it is done differently in different states. For example, in São Paulo, a light kiss on the cheek is common. In Rio de Janeiro, kisses on both cheeks are common. At the same time, in southern regions of Brazil, such as Minas Gerais, three kisses are popular. Alternatively right-left-right or left-right-left. Men don't usually kiss each other. This custom is prevalent among men and women or women. Carnival is very popular, attends 1 crore people Carnival is one of the largest and most famous celebrations in the world. The date of the carnival changes every year, but it usually falls in February or March. The main carnival week runs from Friday to Tuesday. The most famous is the Rio Carnival. The Samba Parade is famous all over the world. Hundreds of Samba schools parade with stunning themes, ornate floats, gorgeous costumes and music. Every year millions of people from all over the world attend it or watch it on TV. During the Rio Carnival alone, two million people are on the streets every day. More than 10 million people from all over Brazil participate in the carnival. Millions of foreign tourists also come to see the carnival. 5 pictures related to carnival and samba in Brazil... Football is a symbol of passion, pride and national identity in Brazil Football is the most popular sport in Brazil and is also considered a national sport. Brazil has won the FIFA World Cup a record 5 times. More than 7000 football clubs are registered in the country and millions of children play football in academies and on the streets. The Maracana Stadium is called the Mecca of football. More than 2 lakh people were present here in the 1950 World Cup final. This is a record for any football match. Brazilian footballers go to play all over the world. According to 2022 data, more than 1200 professional Brazilian players were playing club football abroad. This is the highest in any country. During the World Cup, government offices and many schools in Brazil are closed so that people can watch the match. In Brazil, football is not just a sport, it is also a major source of employment. Thousands of people get employment by joining clubs, stadiums, trade and broadcasting. According to a FIFA survey, more than 50% of Brazilian children dream of becoming professional footballers.