Chanukah in Sao Paulo

I actually started writing this during Chanukah, but shit happened - as it tends to do - so this post was somewhat delayed.  Still worth posting though:

You may/may not know this, but Brazil has the second largest population of Jews in South America.  Argentina has the most, with the vast majority of them living in Buenos Aires.  Brazil's Jewish population is roughly 100,000 and the city with the largest Jewish community is Sao Paulo, with a population of 45,000.  There is a shitload of intermarriage and assimilation so it's really very hard to tell exactly what the population figures are (i.e. there could be a lot more), but I found a page somewhere on t'internet where they were quoting stuff all over the place so I lifted the info off of it.

I can attest to the fact that there are a lot of Jews in Sao Paulo.  First of all, I'm one of them (ha), and secondly I've met quite a few without actually looking for them.  Those I have met are not religious, much like myself.  Sao Paulo's biggest congregation - 'Congregação Israelita Paulista' (something like a Reform synagogue) - has a membership of 2,000 families (that's a lot) and is the largest single congregation in Latin America.


So with all these Jews around, we've been looking for the usual signs of Chanukah.  The first one we saw was actually in our nearest large supermarket, Carrefour.  This one was up before Chanukah started (Tuesday night, FYI):

Sweet, innit?


Then our host Fernando told us they usually put up a large menorah at the end of Avenida Paulista near Consolacão, so we braved the Christmas crowds on Tuesday evening, past the throngs at Bradesco watching the Disney-like choir/weird-elf-like-people-prancing-around-with-cardboard-triangles performance, squeezed past the Christmas bridge, past a string quartet playing Bach/Brahms (couldn't decide which, could have been either), past a rather good Michael Jackson impersonator, until we got to Consolacão.  This is what we saw:

If you've read my blog on Christmas lights in SP, you will be aware that this Chanukah display, in comparison, is pretty pathetic.  AND they had all the arms of the menorah lit on the first night - WHICH IS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN.  You're supposed to light one extra each night until you've got a fully lit menorah.  DETAILS ARE IMPORTANT.


Yes, I'm a pedant.

Christmas lights in Sao Paulo

I was warned long before coming here that this city goes a bit doolally when it comes to christmas decorations, and I have not been disappointed.  So far, on Avenida Paulista, I have seen:

 

FIESP building

Probably a bank

I want to say HSBC...?

HUGE Christmas bridge over Av Paulista - apparently there's going to be a massive show. This is the first time, speaking as a Jew, that I've actually been *excited* about xmas.

Slightly spooky and quite beautiful LED display in Parque Trianon-MASP - this park is usually closed at night due to cruising.

Christmas tree in Parque Trianon-MASP

Itau Bank, which is in competition with the Jungle-themed bank. I think the jungle bank won, in my opinion.

The most interesting thing about the Christmas lights on Avenida Paulista are the crowds that come to view them every evening.  Most of the photos were taken on Monday evening.  There were thousands of people out and about late, around 9-10pm, with their families, taking pictures, walking around slowly and blocking the pavement (sidewalk, for any Americans reading this).  There was also a huge queue to get into the Christmas bridge.  I have no idea what's in there, but I intend on finding out, child or no child in tow.  My mother's small enough....maybe I can take her in...

Crowds outside Itau Bank