On the Mediterranean Sea, a small country called Lebanon has been known for its sea views, snow-capped mountains, and its evergreen cedar trees.
Since the 1900s, the Cedar Tree reigns in the center of the Lebanese flag, in all its official variations.
That particular cedar is the symbol of Lebanon in all that it means, representing the nation’s strength in withstanding times and challenges; the emblem all Lebanese take pride in.
Seeing Lebanon’s emblem somewhere else is bound to turn some Lebanese heads and, yes, make some hearts jump. That has been the case at spotting our cedar on the flag of a football club in Brazil.
This Brazilian football team, called Boavista SC, uses the very same cedar image from the Lebanese flag as their official logo.
The club was founded in 1961, under its former name Esporte Clube Barreira, with a different logo. Its name was changed to Boavista in 2004 after a group of businessmen took control of the club.
That’s also when its logo was changed. A green cedar tree, exactly the same as the Lebanese flag, replaced the previous logo.
Does the club have any relation to Lebanon?
Listed #36 on the world’s smallest countries, according to the World Atlas, Lebanon as a nation has a population of 13-18 million, with 8-14 million constituting the Lebanese diaspora.
In fact, Brazil inhabits the highest number of Lebanese people, scoring a higher population of Lebanese than in Lebanon!
So, we can assume that a Lebanese descendant is behind that logo. Based on a Reddit thread, one of the businessmen who acquired the club is Lebanese, and thus the logo is an homage to his beloved Lebanon.
Another Reddit user from Brazil says that the team’s director Thiago Alves is as well Lebanese.
It is to note that the Lebanese descendants in Brazil take pride in their country of origin.
That was strikingly noticeable in particular at the carnival of Sao Paolo where Lebanon, with its culture and long history, was represented in a 1-hour flamboyant parade.
