On the morning of Christmas eve (24 December 1996) we met Santa Claus in downtown Curitiba. He appeared in a sudden. We hesitated for a moment then quickly realized that the red and white Christmas Father in front of us is whom we have been wishing to see since childhood.

Father Christmas, we learned in stories, only appear to children of good standing ........ and now we stumble right in front where he live (with his wife, wearing blue jean at the right corner of the photo) and he stand right in front of us with a warm smiling face..................

After a long night bus ride from FOZ, we arrived Curitiba early next morning, 24 December 1996, the morning of Christmas Eve.  We put up at a small hotel next the bus station. After wash up we were out for breakfast nearby. It was still early and the streets were not yet  busy. As we walked down a quiet street not far from our hotel, a door opened and we saw him, the Christmas Father Santa Claus, walked out of the door with his wife.

Before we have seen many department store sales assistant dressed up  for a silly look-alike Father Christmas. But today we met the real Santa Claus.

He had a broad face, and a little round belly.  With his long snow white beard and red gown  he was the jolly Santa Claus that we’ve all come to expect.

..........Santa Claus hold his gift bag in his right hand, the bag was empty.  Yes, off couse its was still empty, but no when the night fall when he will visit each children with a bag loaded with presents.  For now, early in the morning, he is in a hurry with with his wife to go shopping for present before night fall.....................

As I am getting old it is not the days that I remember, only moments, moments in the memories.... and Santa Claus in Curitiba gave us a memorable moment of Christmas spirit.

Artwork of Napoleon Potyguara Lazzarotto at Feirinha do Largo de Ordem.  Napoleon Potyguara Lazzarotto is also known as Poty the Artist of Curitiba Streets in Brazil

Poty, Napoleon Potyguara Lazzarotto (1924-1998), was born and died in Curitiba. He came from an Italian family.

His father was railroad worker and his mother had a restaurant in the city

He graduated from National School of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro, and with exchange of studies of the French government, studied lithography at the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

Poty illustrated important literary works of Jorge Amado, Graciliano Ramos, Euclides da Cunha, Machado de Assis, Guimarães Rosa, Mario Palmério, Alcantara Machado, Dinah Silveira de Queiroz, Rachel de Queiroz, José de Alencar , Dalton Trevisan and other writers.
His drawings, mostly in murals, won public areas of some large cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and, in particular, Curitiba, as well as other of Parana.

Other then illustration, the artist also did engraving, serigrafia, lithography, drawing, painting.

Many of his works turned into panels of tiles and murals of concrete.

Poty participated in individual and collective exhibitions in Brazil and abroad.
In the 50's, worked in Sao Paulo, the Free School of Visual Arts, where he taught.


Source :
http://www.lenzi.art.br/

 Http://www.lenzi.art.br

http://www.ceramicanorio.com/paineis/potylargodaordem/potylargodaordem.html

Poty complete this art project in 1996, the year we went for our Christmas holidays. The above photograph was taken in the evening of 25 December 1996 - Christmas day.

Napoleon Potyguara Lazzarotto RIP in 1998, the year we were back in Malaysia.

Feirinha do Largo de Ordem, in the historic part of Curitiba City a good place for nightlife with quite a few bars, clubs and pubs.

Every Sunday morning there is a is an open-air market place of large fair for all sorts of items. Visitors can see or buy paintings, sculptures, craftsmanship, workmanship, typical foods. It is also possible to watch live small musical shows from local musicians or see clowns doing humorous performances.

Curitiba Minor Basilica Cathedral of Our Lady of Light
Curitiba Catedral Basílica Menor de Nossa Senhora da Luz

The Curitiba Minor Basilica Cathedral is situated in the North of Tiradentes Square.  The Square is the birth place of Curitiba City.

The Cathedral was inaugurated in 1893, built in the neo-Gothic style and inspired by Barcelona Cathedral.

"Our Lady of Light" was the original image inside the Cathedral and came from Portugal in 1720.  "Our Lady of Light" is now kept in the Paraná Museum.

"Minor Basilica." =  Basilicas are churches that have been conferred with an honorary title by Pope in Rome. They fall into two classes: major and minor. The only four major basilicas in the world are all in Rome.

The  granting of  minor title to this Cathedral in Curitiba gives the clergy serving here precedence of rank.

The gate remain in good condition  as we see it today. The design is a copy of what existed at the Paris Dog Cemetery. 

In fact my main intention of a holiday in Curitiba is to see the street performance in Flower Street because such public entertainment is hard to see back home in Malaysia. But I chose the wrong time to come at Christmas time as  the crowns also wanted to have their holiday break for the Christmas too.

Mr. Oberado, my business friend in Curitiba instead brought us to places which I not planned of : the new Zoo and this 100 years old Public Park which the city resident are proud of . Curitiba is proud of its urbanistic innovations and the public parks that influenced the Curitiban people life quality.

At night we strolling aimlessly down the streets

Public Promenade (Passeio Publico) was also the location of the first pioneer zoo in Curitiba, even today it still shelters small animals in its small zoo and a playground with a moat for paddleboats and a canopy of old and beautiful trees.

Paddleboats in Public Promenade ( Passeio Publico) of Curitiba City.

Controlling the boat is Ida, our Paraguay friend whom we invited to spend the Christmas holiday with us.

The green house in the botanical garden of Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil

Botanical Garden of Curitiba is a trademark of the city.  This greenhouse, with a metallic structure, has botanic species that are national reference. Here for the first time we saw wide range of indigenous flowers and plants of South America

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The greenhouse is Curitiba city's most famous landmarks usually not missed by first time visitor to the city.
 

The City is large and well organized, clean and nice atmosphere.

Southern part  of Brazil  is where most of the European settlers came in the early 1900s. Curitiba is at south of Brazil with a lots of Europeans living, and this is the answer why is everything is well organized .This green city is very European with plenty of blonde people around speaking a language that we never learn to understand.

Right at the entrance rolls of flower carpet welcome visitors. The botanical garden is a great place to go and take a break amongst the beauty of nature.

Curitiba is a gem in South of Brazil, a green city full of parks and well-organized public spaces. Many years ago this city was  beset with poverty and pollution. Now is became a model green city in Barzil and Internationally. Curitiba could achieve this is because it had strong leadership with a plan supported by dedicated teams of creative people working for the community improvement. If Curitiba can do why Tawau can not ?

MOTHER AND BABY

Brass sculpture of a water fountain at the entrance to Botanical Garden of Curitiba

December 1996 we went to Brazil for our Christmas Holiday

Mr. Oberado brought us to visit the city zoo on the outskirts of Curitiba.  It was late in the afternoon and I remember we were in a hurry to browse the zoo as the it was approaching closing time of the zoo.

Curitiba has two zoos. A small one in the citer center and this larger one Curitiba Zoo, is fifteen minutes outside the city center in a suburban area with Iguaçú river running through. The zoo is about 140 acres with vast open land and forest.

Most animal were kept in open island separated visitors only by water drain with low fan. Many animal species are native to South America

We paused for a few photographs with the giraffes and these few images became precious memory of this zoo in Brazil.
With little time in the zoo, yet this zoo impressed me for the zoo's surround forest and vast open land.  This is unique which I never experienced in other zoos I been to such as zoo in Calcutta (India) and zoo in Hong Kong.

We felt close to the animals and could almost reach out and touch them.