Thread by @oceanyia

Today I'm going to explain one of my absolute favorite Brazilian internet culture phenomena: ENEM DAY

What is ENEM? What does #ShowDosAtrasados (hashtag Late People Show) mean? Why is everyone trying to enter a metal gate before it closes?!

ENEM is an acronym for "National Exam of High School" it is a two-day, 180 questions long, massive test that aims to measure how much you have absorbed throughout highschool. You also have to write an essay about a current topic (the theme changes every year!)

Unlike in America, in Brazil there is no such thing as portfolio reviews or needing recommendation letters to get into university. There's only ENEM and what we call "isolated entrance exams" - when a university opts to use their own evaluation system to accept new students

ENEM is basically the passport to higher education. The overwhelming majority of public universities (those are free, by the way!) use ENEM as their evaluation system. You can also use ENEM to snatch a sweet scholarship to a private university. Needless to say, ENEM is a big deal

Here's the catch: ENEM only happens once a year. That means, if you miss it, you have to wait an entire /year/ to have a go at (public) higher education again. And, because Brazil has many timezones once daylight saving time begins.. you know where I'm going with this, don't you?

Gates have to close simultaneously nationwide at 13h/1pm BST, and if you're one minute off the clock, you're out. This is what #showdosatrasados is. Everyone tunes in on TV to see the desperation in the faces of those who missed the time

A lot of folks gather around the gates to give moral support to those who arrive at the last minute. My personal favorite? These two absolute ninjas who actually made in seconds before the gate closed.

And, of course, there are those go sit in front of the gates with a beer in hand just waiting for the drama to unfold. Shitposting knows no limits, my friends