History
Ok, nobody wants a lesson of history in a middle of website about partying,
but just for the sake of curiosity, I will write down some stuff. Don’t
need to read if you don’t want...
The Carnival began in Europe long ago as a kind of religious party, to celebrate
the beginning of the Lent (the forty days of fasting before Easter, something
like a Catholic version of Ramadan). So, it was a last chance to party!
The thing started growing in some places and losing any religious meaning,
but it is still always 40 days before Easter, anywhere in the World: London,
Cologne, New Orleans, Brazil or Caribbean. It happens from Friday to Ash
Wednesday.
I guess when talking in English the confusion is natural, because you guys
call any parade or big sale as Carnival, apparently. Talking in Portuguese,
at least, the difference is more obvious, CarnAval is THE Carnival,and a
gay parade in Sydney is called a “gay parade in Sydney”.
Today, the whole meaning of the Carnival is forgetting about your problems
and inhibitions and getting loose for four days. It is a relief for the
other 361 days in the year, which are not Carnival.
In Brazil, the Carnival came from Europe in the beginning of the 20th century
as fancy party for the “la crème de la crème” of
Rio society. It was a copy of the masquerade balls from Venice Carnival.
It was not long before the common folks in the streets realized that it
was a good idea, and starting parting all over the town.
From Rio, it spread like a virus to the rest of the country, mixing with
regional influences and rhythms, giving a different face for each celebration.
But always with the same intention, to party as hard as you can and let
the problems go away…
Ok, enough of history for now, you can give a look on the other links to
have an idea about the most famous Carnival celebrations in Brazil...
Back
|
|
Salvador
& Bahia
Ah… Bahia, sweet Bahia…
The northeast of Brazil in general and the state of Bahia in particular
are well known in the country as been always in the party mood. The symbol
of the “take it easy” lifestyle. It is said that in Bahia the
Carnival last 365 days. Salvador is the capital of Bahia, and it has the
biggest Carnival in Brazil, by far. If you still believe that Rio is the
Carnival capital in Brazil, it is time to change your beliefs, Salvador
is the one that, unarguably, have the crown. That is the place everybody
wanna go!!
Bahia is the birthplace for
a lot of Brazilian rhythms and fashions. Each summer there are new rhythms
and a bunch of new songs that are the sensation of the carnival throughout
the country. We have labeled the melting pot of rhythms from Bahia as
“Axé Music”, which is mostly a mix of frevo, samba and
reggae. The word Axé (AH - SHEH) is a slang from Bahia that can
be used pretty much for everything, but in general is a greeting, something
like “good vibes for you, my friend”.
Bahia is also the birthplace
of the “Trio Elétrico”, that was born after a couple
of friends, in 1950, decided to put a bunch of speakers on the top of
a Ford 49 car and developed a new type of electric guitar that was easier
to carry around. They were the ones to bring the Carnival to the streets
of Salvador. In the next year a third member joined them, and that is
why it is "Trio Elétrico" (Eletric Trio) until today,
even if the "Trio" has dozens of members on top.
Ah, Lambada, was born here
as well, but it was a commercial hi just for a couple of seasons. Nobody
ever heard about it again since them. “Lambada, the forbidden dance”,
the movie, was like giving mystic links with the druids and the Stone
Range to the “Back Street Boys”.
Some quick facts about the
Carnival in Bahia:
Blocos de Carnaval (Carnival
Blocks): The Carnival Blocks in Salvador are normally composed by a "Trio
Elétrico“ and one or two supporting trucks with bar, toilet,
medical assistance, etc, normally delimitated by a big rope. Each block
has about 3000 people having fun and about a 1000 working to keep everything
safe and to hold the rope around the Trucks, separating the members of
the Block from the "Pipoca" (literally “popcorn”,
the rest of the people, without an "Abadá"). Each Block
stays on the street for about six to eight hours a day. Some during the
day, some during the night. You can follow more than one. There are around
160 different "Blocos", bigger or smaller, some for Kids and
also some "Afoxés" (AH-FO-SHEH) traditional Afro groups
that make clear why Salvador is the biggest example of the African influence
in Brazil
Carnival Block
in Salvador
Afoxé
Filhos de Ghandi
The "Trio Elétrico":
The "trio elétricos" are huge trucks with a lot of sound
equipment and a band playing on top. Each "Bloco" has a particular
band, some of them pretty famous. Each "trio" goes around 2
Km/h while the crowd is following it. There are two big circuits in Salvador,
one having 4 km (5 to 6 hours to complete) and other 6 km (7 or 8 hours)
. Each "Bloco" follows just one of the circuits, normally for
three days during the Carnival.
Trio Elétrico
The "Abadá"(AH-BAH-DAH):
The "abadá" is your ticket to be a member in a particular
"Carnival Block". It is basically a shirt that identifies you
as member of each block and gives you permission to get into the rope
and close to the trucks.
Abadás
Pelourinho: You can go to
the Pelourinho, which is a nice historical part of the town, where you
can see some great shows and enjoy a bit of the most traditional carnival
in Salvador, an alternative for the trios.
If you are planning to arrive
some time earlier, ask for the "Lavagens", shows with the bands
that will play during the Carnival, the one at Forte Beach is really good!
The rehearsals before the Carnival are also great. The "Olodum"
rehearsals in the Pelourinho are quite famous (do you remember the "Olodum"
they played with Paul Simon in a mega show in NY.)
If you are staying a bit longer, you may go to "Morro de São
Paulo". It is an island about two hours by boat from Salvador and
there is a big party after the Carnival (we call it Carnival Hangover).
Anyway in Salvador, there is no such a thing as an end to the Carnival...
Back
|
|
Recife
& Olinda
Wild, Wild, Wild… The
Carnival in Olinda is the wildest I ever been….
Well, the thing works like
that; Recife is the capital of the northeastern state of Pernambuco, Olinda
is a small town, built during the colonial times, just outside Recife.
It is on UNESCO preservation list, for its old Portuguese houses and streets
with the original pavement form the 16th century.
During the week before the
official start of the Carnival on Friday, a lot of the Trios Elétricos
that will play in Salvador go to Recife, and the party goes on more or
less in the same way it does in Salvador.
Them on the Carnival itself,
the best of the party moves to the streets of Olinda, and that are not
such thing as rules no more!!!! The narrow streets of the old town are
packed with thousands of people. Cars are not allowed.
Trying to pass between the
crowd, you can find dozens of Carnival Blocks, doing all sort of funny
stuff. You have the “ Bloco dos Ensaboados” (something like
The Soaped Ones Block) where everybody is dressed in swimming suits and
throwing water and soap on each other, or the “A Porta”(The
Door), where members of the block keep on catching good looking (that
is something arguable when you are drunk…) girls to dance on the
top of a door that they carry around. You also have the “Segura a
Coisa” (hold the thing) that does something that I cant really talk
about in a Singaporean website ;^ )
Carnival in
Olinda
The crowd is the most interesting
thing, you can be talking with a gorgeous top model in a sexy gear one
minute and kissing a toothless bad breathed chick the next. You see all
kind of people there, some with costumes, some with Speedos, some with
suits, some carrying three meters high dolls that are part of the Pernambuco
folklore.
Three meters
high dolls in Pernabuco
There is one rhythm that represents
Pernambuco, and it is the Frevo. That requires quite a fancy footwork.
You tend to believe you can do while you are drunk, which normally result
in bruises in your ass. It is look like a more acrobatic version of a
Cossack dance, or something like that…
Frevo
The fact is that you will
hear pretty much anything in Olinda. I remember one carnival there when,
one of the rented houses (If you don’t wanna bother sleeping you
can rent a house inside Olinda and party 24 hours, I’m getting too
old for that…), that had a lot of sound equipment, was playing Billy
Paul every day. So every afternoon there would be bunch of people line
dancing at the sound of Mrs. Jones
Ah, and I almost forget about
the “Galo da Madrugada”. From early morning on the Carnival
Saturday this “Carnival Block” gathers more than 1 million people
and it is on the Guiness Book of Records as the biggest popular manifestation
in the world!!!
"Galo
da Madrugada"
Back
|
|
Rio
de Janeiro
If in Brazil, Salvador is
the most famous carnival, for the rest of the World, there is no doubt
that the parade in Rio will be always the face of the Carnival in Brazil.
Rio was the place where the Carnival was introduced in Brazil, and the
parade has a great impact in the life of millions of people. Let tell
a bit more about it:
The Carnival Parade: The "Escolas
de Samba" (Samba Schools) parade in Rio is the most probably the
most famous in the world. It is a mix of street opera, dramatic dance
and folklore display. It is not just a parade but, also, a competition.
Several "Samba Schools" compete against each other in several
leagues. It is like in the football championships, the last classifieds
go to a lower league in the following year and the winner is the champion.
Each "Samba School" needs to choose a theme or "Enredo"
every year, and compose a samba about it, as well as preparing cars and
costumes, also following the theme. The themes can vary from the Pharaohs
in Egypt to the conquering of the World Cup. A jury is in charge of giving
points to each one, based on criteria like harmony, costumes, timing etc.
The parade of each one lasts for about 80 minutes and happens during the
four days of carnival. With more than fifty "Schools" competing
it is considered "the biggest show in the world".
Carnival Parade
in Rio
Escolas de Samba (Samba Schools):
The Samba Schools are not places where you go to learn Samba, but something
like clubs that compete against each other during the Carnival. If in
Brazil, the football club you support is part of your character, in Rio
also the Samba School. You never say: “I support Salgueiro”,
but rather “I AM Salgueiro.” (Salgueiro is one of the Samba
Schools, my favorite by the way). Normally each Samba School represents
one of the shantytowns or favelas in Rio, and its inhabitants make the
core of each one. Than, on the parade, top models, wannabe models, TV
artists, tourists, and just plain, common people, like us, join them,
as well! Each Samba School has between one and five thousand people, adorned
with sumptuous fancy dresses and ornaments. They march isolated or gathered
together in rows, dancing in the rhythm of an "orchestra" composed
exclusively of percussion instruments.
 
Samba
School
 
Costumes for
the parade
Samba: Samba doesn’t
really look or sound like salsa, merengue or any other Latin rhythm, so,
when you meet a Brazilian, don’t go: “Oh, Brazil, samba!”
– and start shaking your shoulders, that is damn annoying... Samba
has deep African roots, and can vary from something close to light jazz
in the “Samba-canção” (wow, that is good and old…)
to the heavy drums of the “Samba-Enredo”, passing trough the
popular “Pagode” or the "Samba-reggae".
Samba-Enredo: The music that
will be played in the Carnival parade is also party of theme of each school.
Every year a new samba-enredo is composed.
Well I think this was a good
summary of the parade, which is the heart of the Carnival in Rio, now,
let me see what else I can tell...
Blocos de Carnaval (Carnival
Blocks): In Rio the "Carnival Blocks" are coming back, after
almost disappearing for a long time. There they have a different face
than their cousins from Bahia, which are the pattern for Blocks throughout
the Country. In Rio the Blocks are plenty of all sort of costumes, cross
dressing, funny hats etc. The bands don't necessarily come on the top
of a truck and the rhythm is mostly marked by the "marchinhas",
probably the most traditional rhythm associated with the Carnival.
Bloco de Carnaval
Carnival Balls: Still an option
for a lot of tourists, they tend to be quite dodge (ok, during the carnival,
that is not really a bad thing.) You just need to remember: Avoid any
girl that is bigger and stronger than you or whose face looks unshaved.
A preeminent Adam's apple is also a good indication ;^).
Off Rio: A lot of Cariocas
(the inhabitants from Rio) go to the hills or to one of the cities by
the coast during the Carnival. Places like Parati or Buzios in the South
and North of the state respectively, have both a really nice street Carnival,
for example.
Back
|
|
Minas
Gerais
During the colonial time,
Minas was the main target for the gold rush in Brazil (once the name:
Minas Gerais = General Mines). This early occupation left some architectural
jewels on the form of small towns spread around Minas, like Ouro Preto
and Diamantina. During the Carnival some of these towns are the gathering
point for a lot of people from Minas itself and from the neighboring states.
Ouro Preto
in Minas Gerais
Stages and sound equipment
are spread around the town, transforming it on a big party place, 24 hours
a day during the Carnival. You can arrive there from your trip at two
in the morning stay in the street until ten in the morning, sleep a bit,
go back to the street at two in the afternoon and you will not notice
any difference. If everybody that is in the town decides to go to the
street at the same time, probably it would explode.
What I like the
most about the Carnival in Minas is the lack of need for logistics; you
don't need to drive around or go from one place to the other, neither
to follow any type of schedule. Just step outside your cute colonial house
(being it a small hotel, guest house or just some space that you rented
on one of the local houses) any time you whish and that is it. Party is
on!!!
Minas is also well known in Brazil for having more women than men in its
population, and for their country, almost hillbilly, congeniality.
|
|
Southern
Region
Well, to be fair, the south
of Brazil is better known for its huge Oktoberfest than for the Carnival
itself, being there the focal point for the German immigration to Brazil,
since the beginning of the 20th century.
But, still, a lot of people
go there during the Carnival, for a less wild version of the party, good
if you have a girlfriend already :^) !
Some cities of the three states that form the southern Region of the country
have carnival parades like in Rio, but in a smaller scale and parties
all over the town. The nightlife is great all year around, anyway. Plus,
the south of Brazil has the reputation of having some of the most beautiful
women in the country (Giselle Bündchen is quite a good example of
the southern beauty.)
Back
|
|
São
Paulo
Ok, the state of São
Paulo, from which São Paulo is the inland capital city (sometimes
we are not very original with names, as you can see) has some nice beachs
indeed, and party going on!! In the capital, the parade, in Rio style,
has being growing in the last years, and can it be quite enjoyable.
But, to be 100% honest, the
guys from São Paulo go to Bahia for the Carnival...
Back
|
................>>>>>>>..........