A woman thought a crowd was 'applauding the sunset.' The real reason was far more beautiful.

When traveling, you often encounter small cultural moments that offer a profound insight into a different way of life. For a traveler named Selva (@soulofselva), one such moment occurred on a beach in Brazil as the sun was setting. She noticed the entire crowd begin to clap in unison and assumed they were simply celebrating the beautiful view. The real reason, she would soon learn, was a powerful display of community in action.

In a now-viral Instagram video, Selva shared her discovery. "I genuinely thought everybody was just cheering for the beautiful views until a local told me that this hand-clapping technique is used to help a lost kid find their parents in Brazil," she wrote.

The method is simple yet brilliant. As she explained, when a child is lost, "People make a collective effort to clap around the kid so parents could listen and locate where he/she could be." The rhythmic clapping acts as an auditory beacon, a community-wide alert system powered by instinct and empathy.

The experience left a deep impression on Selva, who contrasted it with the more individualistic culture she was used to. "This sense of community effort truly amazes me," she wrote. "This is something uncommon in a lot of countries and ummm, especially the U.S. So I’m really happy I got to witness and understand this moment."

A group of people jumping for joy at the beach during sunsetCanva

Her video resonated with thousands, many of whom shared similar experiences. "I found a lost child at the beach in Chile, and this was exactly how we found the parents as well," one user commented. Another, @autumn_sunsets_, shared a memory from Brazil: "The kid was found alone in the food court, and a security guard put him on a table, and everyone around started clapping like in the video. Parents were in the spot in two minutes."

The tradition highlights a collectivist mindset, where shared responsibility is second nature. One commenter, @dnidngr, shared a similar observation from Japan: "'Someone's child is also my child' is basically what she told me, meaning that the children will always be protected by others in the community without being asked."

two young children play by the water at the beach during sunsetCanva

Selva went to the beach that day to see a sunset, but she left with something far more memorable: a glimpse into a community's shared instinct for care. The feeling was summed up perfectly by commenter @iamshannonleigh: "This is why I love traveling… we can learn so many things from each other and each other’s cultures."

You can follow Selva (@soulofselva) on Instagram for more travel content.

This article was originally published earlier this year. It has been updated.