Origins of 10 “different” names of Brazilian cities

In Brazil, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, there are 5,570 municipalities. Behind each of them there is always a good story to tell, starting with the origin of their names. And by the way, some cities carry such unusual names, that we can barely imagine how they would have come about.

O awesome.club was curious to know more about this topic and researched the origins of 10 “different” names of Brazilian cities. Check out!

It is not news that the state of Minas Gerais is one of the main gold producers in Brazil. The abundance of this precious metal inspired the names of cities that are located there. The cities of Ouro Branco, Ouro Preto and Ouro Fino are some examples of this. But there is also the city of Discovery. The name of this quiet town, located in the Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais, was “born” in the 19th century, when it was uncovered gold in that region. With that, several miners moved there, starting the city.

The Christmas spirit blends with the name and history of this city. It all started on Christmas Eve, in 1978, when a group of farm workers was stranded after heavy rains in the region. As the roads were in poor condition, they were unable to return to their homes. Isolated there, the workers did not want the date to go unnoticed and decided to celebrate among themselves. To record this moment, “Merry Christmas” was written on one of the trees in that place.

It didn’t take long for this story to become known. Even the tree with the words became a point of reference. Over time, “Feliz Natal” became so popular that it became the name of the village – now a municipality – that was formed in that region.

The history of this city begins in 1933, with the arrival of the first families in the place. These people lived on farms that were on the shore of a large pond. Over time, a village was formed there, which believed that that lagoon was “enchanted”. One of the legends told that the solitary stone, in the center of the waters of the lagoon, mysteriously changed its place, causing confusion — hence the name of the municipality.

This city is also known as the National Capital of Precision Agriculture, but what makes many people curious is why it was named “No-Me-Toque”. The city government highlighted two likely origins for the name. The first of them, which we illustrated above, says that it is due to the abundance of “don’t touch me” in the region, the name of a bush with a short trunk, full of thorns, which is also called Sucará or Espinho de Santo Antônio.

Another reason that may have inspired the city’s name comes from a time when the Portuguese installed their farms in that region. Among them, there was one called “No-Me-Toque”.

In 1929, the settlement that we now call Passa e Fica began. Curious name, no? Passa e Fica may have come from a small business on the side of the road that sold everything from beans to kerosene. In addition to buying things, people also stayed there. With the popularity of the business, a cluster of houses formed around it. Soon they said that the people there passed, stayedand thus became known as the place of “pass and stay”.

Also in Rio Grande do Norte, São Miguel do Gostoso is a small paradise that stands out for its white sand beaches.

There are two stories that explain how the name of the city was composed. The first of them was illustrated above and tells the reason for “Gostoso”. According to legend, this name would have come from a gentleman who lived in a village in that region, called Manoel. He received people who passed by in his house, and was known for his friendliness, hospitality and for his absurd stories. Owner of a delicious laugh, he soon received the nickname “Seu Gostoso”. The popularity of “Seu Gostoso” made that town – which had no name – become known as “Gostoso”.

The “São Miguel”, present in the name of the city, came many years after the village was baptized as Gostoso. The story tells that a gentleman named Miguel, a resident of Gostoso, on account of a promise made to São Miguel, built a chapel and placed an image of the Saint there. Soon, the village accepted São Miguel as its patron saint. But not only that. The name “São Miguel” joined the name of the village, thus forming São Miguel do Gostoso, as the city is known today.

Thus, like the city of Descoberto, mentioned above, Sem-Peixe is also located in the Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais. Another rather curious name, Sem-Peixe would have come from a time when there were nomadic Indians in that region. According to legend, when the Indians arrived there, they decided to fish, but they did not find enough fish. Because of this, they moved away and used the expression piracuerawhich means “there are no fish here”.

This city stands out as the largest coffee producer in the state of Rio de Janeiro. In fact, this coffee potential helped to populate that region, since many Italian immigrants appeared there, between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, to work in the coffee plantations. Even before the arrival of these immigrants, the name “Varre-Sai” was already in the “people’s mouth”.

According to one of the legends, Varre-Sai comes from the mid-19th century, at a time when travelers passed through the region and chose Dona Inácia’s ranch to stay overnight. On this ranch, to demand that travelers leave everything clean when leaving, there was a rustic notice written in charcoal that said “Sweep and Leave”expression that became famous and became the name of the city.

Vem-Ver is known for housing the highest point in Rio Grande do Norte, Serra do Coqueiro. About the origin of the name of the city, there are some legends. One of them tells the story of a forbidden courtship between a farmer’s daughter and one of her slaves. The farmer even tried to push the couple away. However, some time later, one of his slaves saw the two talking again, and tried to tell the boss about it, but he didn’t believe it. With no other alternative, the slave called the farmer’s daughter to personally verify her information. “Come and see,” said the slave as she faced her enraged master. They had no idea that the name of the city would be born from this story.

The name Xangri-La is an adaptation of Shangri-La, an imaginary country mentioned in the book Lost Horizon, by the English writer James Hilton, from 1933. In fiction, that was a place where happiness and health prevailed. With this same aspiration, a city in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul was named, which is full of beaches. The spelling of the name is only different, because the words of English origin that begin with “SH” change to Portuguese with the letter “X”.

Did you know these cities and the origins of their names? What other city named “different” would you add to this list? Tell us!