berseker | Um Pálio de Luz Desdobrado (Reply)

Lyrics here, in case you’re interested. But the English version kinda hurts my soul. This must be one of the most beautiful Anthems, and the translation just doesn’t live up to it. Everything is gorgeous, the lyrics, the melody, everything. I feel more proud hearing this one than the actual national anthem.

Anyway.

Proclamation of the Republic Day is celebrated on 15th November every year in
Brazil.

Luciano: Well, of course, it’s like a birthday, so it has to be every year. I think it’s stupid, you know, when people ask when your birthday is and you say the year, I mean, it doesn’t make sense, because they aren't asking you the day you were born, I mean, well, they are, but not in the sense that you'll-
Martin: I can see you’re slightly anxious.
Luciano: DAMM RIGHT I AM. Why do we have to go trough this? Why can’t we just play football? Football is good. No politics, no complicated relationships, no resentment, nothing but the sport.
Martin:...I can’t believe you just said that.
Luciano: Me neither.

This commemorates the day in 1889 when Brazil's second Emperor, Dom Pedro II, was deposed and the United States of Brazil was declared by Field Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca.

Martin: United States of Brazil.
Luciano: ...
Martin: UNITED STATES OF BRAZIL.
Luciano: Shut up, I changed it later, okay?
Martin: UNITED STATES OF-
Luciano: *jumps him*

Brazil was colonized by Portugal, and it is the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas. It is a multiracial country with a population composed of European, Amerindian, African and Asian elements, although these are integrated rather than separated into different communities. It has the largest Roman Catholic population in the world.

Martin: So what? We all had lots of immigrants. Everyone is mixed.
Luciano: It’s not and you know it. This is possibly the only thing I did right, so don’t try to take it from me.
Martin: You are really nervous. Why? It’s supposed to be a party.
Luciano: I don’t know, national dates make me like this. I keep thinking of everything that should have been different and wasn’t, and how much time I wasted and how everyone is laughing at me and BAWWWWWS HOLD ME!
Martin:… I’m not sure I mentioned before, but you are an idiot.
Luciano: *sniffling*You might have said something along these lines, yes.

On 7th September 1822 the Prince Regent of Portugal, son of the Portuguese King, proclaimed himself to be Emperor of Brazil and declared independence, establishing the independent Empire of Brazil. He took the name Dom Pedro I, later becoming Pedro IV of Portugal.

Luciano: Independence, you’re doing it wrong.
Martin: Ok, look, here’s the deal. I’m here. With you. Trying to pry you off with a crowbar, but I’m here. So you have to stop stealing my lines. I insult you, you defend yourself, because if you start to insult yourself then I’ll have to defend you and we don’t want that.
Luciano: A crowbar? That’s harsh.
Martin: LET GO OF ME.

A treaty with Britain and Portugal recognizing the Empire's independence was signed on 29th August 1825. As the crown remained in the hands of the House of Braganza, this was more the division of the Portuguese empire into two complementary components than the type of independence movement seen elsewhere in the Americas.

Luciano: Ok now, let me tell you something about Britain, he is-
Martin: -a dirty liar with no respect whatsoever for any person dead or alive, a little worm who always puts himself first and will always take advantage of friends and enemies alike?
Luciano: ...I was going to say sneaky. But that works too.
Martin: So, what the hell happened there? You could have taken your cue from me, or Alfred, or anyone. You must have known that you couldn’t declare independence and keep the same boss. What where you thinking?
Luciano: I don’t know, I think I wasn’t. It all happened so fast, I mean. Portugal moved here and then suddenly I was this very important part of his empire, he was pretty much ignoring me before, but when he was here things started to happen, I mean, it was all so lively and, well, fun. And then he went away and now I think he was afraid I would try to take over or something, I don’t even know. But he was angry all the fucking time and trying to make things go back to the way they were before, and I just thought… well. It would stop again, you see? My life, I mean. I’d be forever some backward colony, because that was how he wanted me, but then I said I’d be independent and he didn’t even put up a fight, he just said I’d have to pay him for it and then England said it was perfectly logical and I guess he couldn’t wait to get rid of me, and I don’t know, it was confusing, and it took me a while to understand what the hell was going on, and-
Martin: You’re such an idiot.
Luciano: I know.
Martin:...
Luciano:...
Martin: Oh, fuck. Come here.
Luciano: *BAAAAWWWS*

The Brazilian Empire was formally a democracy in the British style, although in practice, the Emperor-Premier-Parliament balance of power more closely resembled the autocratic Austrian Empire of the Habsburgs.

Luciano: Eh?
Martin: I have no idea.

Pedro I abdicated in 1831 and was succeeded by his son, Pedro II, who was only five years old at the time.

Martin: You know, the best thing about democracy is that you don’t take orders from babies.
Luciano:... he wasn’t the one in charge, you know. There were some old guys running the show. Plus, he was cute.
Martin: Ok, let me rephrase that. At least you don’t take orders from people behind the curtain. You elect someone, he’ll be the one running things.
Luciano:... I can’t believe you said that.
Martin*le sigh*: Me neither.

During Pedro II's reign slavery was abolished in Brazil in 1888 through the "Golden Law", signed by his daughter Princess Isabel in his absence, although he had been personally involved in its creation, and intensive European immigration created the basis for industrialization.

Luciano: To which I say FUCKING FINALLY. Even if we did it wrong.
Martin: A least you’re used to it. Doing things wrong, I mean.
Luciano: You had slavery too, right? What happened with yours?
Martin: I don’t want to talk about it.
Luciano: Come one, you ended that shit before me. As usual. Gloat a little.
Martin: I really really really don’t want to talk about it. Let’s move on. What happened then?

Pedro II was overthrown by a coup d'etat, a crisis arising against the background of the Paraguay War (which, although not started by Brazil, had dragged on for a long time) and the elite's annoyance at the abolition of slavery.

Luciano: Elite. Oh, how I love this word.
Martin: I also like coup d’etat. Let’s not talk about Paraguay.
Luciano: Let’s.

He was deposed from the throne on 15th November 1889, when a federal republic (officially, the Republic of the United States of Brazil) was established by Field Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca. Pedro II died in exile in 1891.

Martin: What, no bloodshed? France would be ashamed.
Luciano: I couldn’t. I honestly couldn’t. He was nice. And he liked me. And it would be like doing it to Portugal and there’s no way in hell, I mean, they say it doesn’t work like that, but I don’t know, I’m just-
Martin: OK CALM DOWN. YEESH.

The Brazilian republic was not an ideological offspring of the republics born of the French or American revolutions, although the Brazilian regime would attempt to associate itself with both.

Luciano: Well... everyone was doing it. And they gave me some ideas, yes. So there.

The republic did not have enough popular support to risk open elections. It was a regime born of a coup that maintained itself by force. The republicans made Deodoro president (1889–91) and, after a financial crisis, appointed Field Marshal Floriano Vieira Peixoto minister of war to ensure the allegiance of the military.

Luciano: Aw, come on. Fine, so it was more of an elite thing, but still, people wanted it. We even voted.
Martin: Really? When?
Luciano: Erm. In 1993. But Republic won.
Martin:...
Luciano: Look, I didn’t have time to do it before, alright? I was busy.
Martin: Did anyone vote for monarchy?
Luciano: Of course. Almost 10% of my people, actually. Don’t even ask, I don’t understand it myself.
Martin: You’re just awesome like that.

From 1889 to 1930, the government was a constitutional democracy, with the presidency alternating between the dominant states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais

Luciano: Yes, and this was a disaster and some of my bosses back then didn’t even know I was here and I don’t want to talk about it.
Martin: Too much fail for one night?
Luciano: You have no idea. It’s just more of the same, I know it sounds stupid now, but I actually thought things were going to change. Everything was so promising, I mean, I thought, okay, that was a false start or something, but now I’m doing something right, and then nothing changed anyway, only it wasn’t Portugal ignoring me, it was my own people, and that’s better, I guess, but still, it was more of the fucking same and this is-
Martin: Oh for FUCK’S SAKE, come here. And please stop crying. You did it, right? Even if you couldn’t see the changes back then, you got independence, and then this and STOP CRYING OR I’LL GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO CRY ABOUT.
Luciano: WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO ME?

The stars on the Brazil flag represent the sky over Rio de Janeiro on the morning of November 15, 1889, the day the Republic of Brazil was declared. It is shown as seen from outside of the celestial sphere (i.e. the view is mirrored).

Martin: Wait, so I need to be in space?
Luciano: At least this one is pretty. You don’t want to know what the first one looked like.
Martin: Oh?
Luciano: Trust me. It’s way too embarrassing. Let’s talk about something else.
Martin: Sure. We could talk about how, since you’re feeling better and all, you could return to your side of the couch.
Luciano: Or I could stay right here.
Martin *sighs*: Or you could stay right here. Whatever. Just don’t- I never said you could touch me like- oh-

~

(Article here, with some stuff I got from Wiki. The first flag looked like this. They changed it four days later, probably on the basis that it was too fucking embarrassing. Brazil’s bad luck with his bosses would be proverbial, if it weren’t for the fact that South America as whole suffers from the same problem so no one can say anything. Aaaaand that’s all for today. *hides under a rock*)