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In August 2025, State Deputy Ana Paula da Silva (Paulinha) introduced a bill in the Legislative Assembly of the state of Santa Catarina (Brazil) to establish the State Policy for Strengthening Ties with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Paulinha, a two-term former mayor of Bombinhas (Santa Catarina) and now a prominent state legislator, also serves as the Santa Catarina state chair of the center-right Podemos party.
Why So Many Luxembourgers in Santa Catarina?
Luxembourgish immigration to Brazil began in 1828 with many of the first immigrants settling in São Pedro de Alcântara, near Florianópolis, the state capital of Santa Catarina. Over time, Luxembourgish families spread to towns such as Antônio Carlos, Luiz Alves, Palhoça, as well as to northern and western regions of the state.
Today, Santa Catarina is home to the largest community of Luxembourg descendants in Brazil, a fact officially recognized by the government of Luxembourg. While the Luxembourgish government doesn’t publish statistics on how many Luxembourgish nationals live in the different states in Brazil, it is estimated that at least 15,000 Luxembourgish citizens live in the state of Santa Catarina.
Purpose of the Bill
With the bicentennial of Germanic immigration to the South of Brazil approaching in 2028, the bill aims to:
- preserve the history and memory of Luxembourgish immigration;
- support academic research and educational initiatives;
- promote cultural, scientific, and sports exchanges with Luxembourg;
- encourage the teaching of the Luxembourgish language;
- raise Santa Catarina’s international profile as a hub of Luxembourgish heritage.
Key Measures Included
If passed, the bill would implement several initiatives statewide, including:
- State Week of Luxembourgish Culture, held annually during the week of June 23, Luxembourg’s National Day;
- State Literature and Research Contest “Luxembourg–Santa Catarina”, open to students, researchers, and writers;
- State Program for the Bicentennial Celebration (2028), featuring cultural, academic, and tourism-related events;
- Santa Catarina Center for Studies on Luxembourgish Immigration, in partnership with universities, to develop research, digital archives, and educational materials;
- Promotion of the Luxembourgish language through free courses and teacher training;
- Educational, cultural, and sports exchange programs with institutions in Luxembourg.
Unique Opportunity
The bill introduced by Deputy Ana Paula da Silva (Paulinha) may be one of the only known undertakings to promote the Luxembourgish language via governmental policy outside of Europe.
According to LuxCitizenship’s 2024 research study of 1,175 confirmed Luxembourg dual citizens across the Americas, including 634 Brazilians, 84.8% of respondents expressed an interest in learning the Luxembourgish language.
In fact, in some of the communities in Santa Catarina where Luxembourgish migrants eventually settled, such as Angelina, it is common to hear a German dialect known as Hunsrik, which is similar to Luxembourgish. People frequently greet each other on the street with “moien.” Hunsrik is actually the second most commonly spoken language in Brazil.
Bill Progress
The bill was initially approved as receivable on August 28th but has not yet progressed to the committee stage. Santa Catarina has a unicameral legislature with 40 deputies. If the bill is approved by the full legislature, it will also need to be signed by the governor.
To learn more about the film project “Where We’re From (D’Où Nous Venons), a proposed documentary film about the Luxembourg diaspora in Brazil, please visit the page https://connaissancefilms.com/where-were-from/
