 Back
Carnaval:
Summer, Fun, and Fooling Around
By Luciana Savioli
See pictures
Brazil is the
country of samba and there are those who say that Brazilians
are born with dancing feet! The sensuality and creativity
of the Brazilian carnaval are spectacular and this is
why it is considered one of the best carnavals in the
world.
The first carnaval in Brazil took place in 1641 and
today it is one of the most popular manifestations in
Brazil and is celebrated in the entire country. The
word carnaval could have originated from the Latin expression
"carrum novalis", used by Romans at the openings
of their festivities. Or maybe from the word "carnelevale",
which means "good-bye to meat", in Milanese
dialect, a reference from the beginning of Lent.
Every year, the festival takes place days before the
beginning of Lent, four days before Ash Wednesday —
Saturday, Sunday Monday and Fat Tuesday. Today, as much
as in Recife (Pernambuco), as in Salvador (Bahia), carnaval
includes Ash Wednesday and the following days, including
at times, Holy Saturday.
RIO DE JANEIRO
Samba, vibrant colours, splendid costumes and beautiful
women are the main ingredients of carnaval in the city
of Rio de Janeiro. Many samba schools parade at the
Sambadrome at Marquês do Sapucaí, which
can hold up to 600,000 people.
Samba schools compete for the title of carnaval champion
and the fight is very competitive! Portela, Salgueiro,
Mangueira, Império Serrano, Beija-Flor and Imperatriz
Leopoldinense are among the oldest and most well known
schools in town.
SÃO PAULO
The Paulista carnaval was inspired by the Carioca carnaval.
The parade of Paulista samba schools takes place in
the Anhembi sambadrome, with a capacity of up to 30,000
people.
Nenê de Vila Matilde, Vai-Vai, Império
de Casa Verde, Mocidade Alegre and Rosas de Ouro are
the most traditional samba schools. In São Paulo,
sporty samba schools also parade, Gaviões da
Fiel and Mancha Verde are among the most famous.
BAHIA
Sensual, lucid, strong and spiritual, the carnaval in
Salvador is the largest urban party in Brazil. Famous
for the sound trucks equipped with gigantic speakers
and a stage where artists perform their songs, including
samba, samba-reggae, and axé. Over two and a
half million partiers follow these sound trucks, singing
and dancing during the five days of the festival.
Some of the most traditional sound truck groups in
Salvador are Dodô e Osmar, Tapajós, Marajós,
Tupinambás, Saborosa and Novos Baianos. There
are also mini trucks, which are affiliated to a group
(bloco) and marked off by cords. Some of these are the
groups Eva, Trás os Montes, Cheiro de Amor Camaleão
and Pinel. All of these make up the carnaval in the
city, circulating and drawing in the crowds. But the
carnaval in Bahia is made even richer because of the
strength of other cultural manifestations, showing up
in groups such as Afro llê Aiyê and Araketu,
and others.
PERNAMBUCO
The cities of Recife and Olinda have carnavals unlike
anywhere in the world. The festival lasts five days
and the main rhythms are Frevo, Ciranda and Maracatu.
The carnaval in Olinda displays dozens of gigantic dolls;
one of the most well-known is the Midnight Man. Some
of the most traditional groups are Pitombeira dos Quatro
Cantos and Elefante de Olinda. The meeting place for
followers of these groups is in front of the Municipal
Mayor’s building, where you can find the largest
number of partiers per square meter!
In Recife, carnaval begins with the largest carnaval
group in the world, the Galo da Madrugada. Many shows
take place on stages spread out around the neighbourhoods
of Recife, where, simultaneously, RECBEAT also takes
place, the alternative youth carnaval of Recife.
MINAS GERAIS
With a style all its own, the Minas carnaval has many
different types of groups such as the caricatos, which
takes place in cities in the interior, and the street
carnaval, where historical Minas cities are in the spotlight.
Diamantina, for example, is a great place for those
who like to party and have fun. In Mariana, the carnaval
is moved by tradition and lots of fun, with marchinhas
and folkloric city groups.
In Ouro Preto, the carnaval stands out because of the
organized groups made up of the students in town. Currently,
there are around 30 groups, with an average of 2,000
participants in each one. The Diretoria is the most
traditional group, founded by locals from Ouro Preto
who get the crowds going with choreographs that have
never been seen before.
Back |
