Desenrascanço
Desenrascanço (impossible translation into English) is a Portuguese word used to describe the capacity to improvise in the most extraordinary situations possible, against all odds, resulting in a hypothetical good-enough solution. Portuguese people believe it to be one of the most valued virtues of theirs.
Desenrascanço in Universities
The older students at universities and polithechnical institutes known as doutores (Eng. doctors) teach Desenrascanço to freshmen (Port. Caloiros) in a ritual, well known as Praxe (or Praxis) in Portugal. This skill is taught (informally) in the Portuguese universities since the 14th or 15th century. The freshmen are ordered to do the most impossible things. They must do it, or they will be punished. To solve they must be really inventive and have a very convincing reason when they cannot do it. Normally, if they cannot or if they are not smart enough, punishment is done. The punishment is done under the Praxis rules (Port. Código de Praxe). No harm can be done to the student. But they can get dirty, do a lot of exercise, and do embarrassing things in public or nothing for an hour. Freshmen do this ritual because they want to enter in the academic groups to have fun, continuous parties and lots of helping friends. In the rituals, the doutores must be dressed in black (in a 19th century traditional clothes) and freshmen dressed in white (normally a shirt and blue jeans).
Desenrascanço in the Discoveries Era
When the Dutch ventured in the sea for the discovery of new worlds, they had the habit of bringing a portuguese with them(note: in fact the dutch wjere not discovering new worlds, the portuguese did it and the portuguese on board was usally the only one that could read the portuguese maps draw by previous portuguese mariners). For the entire voyage, he would do nothing, unless an emergency arrised. When it did, the Captain would give full control of the boat to this portuguese, who would use his desenrascanço ability to solve the problem at hand.
People from Portugal believe that they still have this characteristic, that, theoricaly speaking, make them the best people to handle emergencies, and the worst for situations where planning is needed.
Desenrascanço in Politics
It is said, that Desenrascanço is also a common practice Portuguese politics. No party can survive without practicing Desenrascanço. This skill is mostly used to finance the party. Typical desenrasço also occours in the Câmaras (Eng. City Halls), to solve some construction problems. An example of this was the construction of "Estádio da Luz", the stadium where the Euro 2004 (European Football Championship) final will take place. The original plan was ilegal, but a change in mayors allowed the new mayor (more proficient in the Desenrascanço skill) to use this skill and solve the problem.
Desenrascanço in Daily Life
Desenrascanço is also the excuse Portuguese people use to justify their known inability to manage, plan and organize anything. Things are never planned or managed. Rules are never defined, let alone written. If there is a written rule it will be completely ignored by everyone. Everyone will do things its own best way, and chaos will result in the end. Then people have to use Desenrascanço to get out of the mess they got in. This basicaly means trying to find ingenious ways to get out of the problems created by the lack of organization. Everything is always finished/done at the last minute, completely improvised, without following any rules or best practices of management and planning, as things start to happen all at the same time and/or unexpectedly (because no one took the time to think beforehand and plan for them).
in Wikipedia
Desenrascanço in Universities
The older students at universities and polithechnical institutes known as doutores (Eng. doctors) teach Desenrascanço to freshmen (Port. Caloiros) in a ritual, well known as Praxe (or Praxis) in Portugal. This skill is taught (informally) in the Portuguese universities since the 14th or 15th century. The freshmen are ordered to do the most impossible things. They must do it, or they will be punished. To solve they must be really inventive and have a very convincing reason when they cannot do it. Normally, if they cannot or if they are not smart enough, punishment is done. The punishment is done under the Praxis rules (Port. Código de Praxe). No harm can be done to the student. But they can get dirty, do a lot of exercise, and do embarrassing things in public or nothing for an hour. Freshmen do this ritual because they want to enter in the academic groups to have fun, continuous parties and lots of helping friends. In the rituals, the doutores must be dressed in black (in a 19th century traditional clothes) and freshmen dressed in white (normally a shirt and blue jeans).
Desenrascanço in the Discoveries Era
When the Dutch ventured in the sea for the discovery of new worlds, they had the habit of bringing a portuguese with them(note: in fact the dutch wjere not discovering new worlds, the portuguese did it and the portuguese on board was usally the only one that could read the portuguese maps draw by previous portuguese mariners). For the entire voyage, he would do nothing, unless an emergency arrised. When it did, the Captain would give full control of the boat to this portuguese, who would use his desenrascanço ability to solve the problem at hand.
People from Portugal believe that they still have this characteristic, that, theoricaly speaking, make them the best people to handle emergencies, and the worst for situations where planning is needed.
Desenrascanço in Politics
It is said, that Desenrascanço is also a common practice Portuguese politics. No party can survive without practicing Desenrascanço. This skill is mostly used to finance the party. Typical desenrasço also occours in the Câmaras (Eng. City Halls), to solve some construction problems. An example of this was the construction of "Estádio da Luz", the stadium where the Euro 2004 (European Football Championship) final will take place. The original plan was ilegal, but a change in mayors allowed the new mayor (more proficient in the Desenrascanço skill) to use this skill and solve the problem.
Desenrascanço in Daily Life
Desenrascanço is also the excuse Portuguese people use to justify their known inability to manage, plan and organize anything. Things are never planned or managed. Rules are never defined, let alone written. If there is a written rule it will be completely ignored by everyone. Everyone will do things its own best way, and chaos will result in the end. Then people have to use Desenrascanço to get out of the mess they got in. This basicaly means trying to find ingenious ways to get out of the problems created by the lack of organization. Everything is always finished/done at the last minute, completely improvised, without following any rules or best practices of management and planning, as things start to happen all at the same time and/or unexpectedly (because no one took the time to think beforehand and plan for them).
in Wikipedia