Carnival in Brazil

article from March 7, 2011

by Julie R Butler

This is it – Carnival festivities have begun over the weekend leading up to Fat Tuesday in an explosion of sound and color.

The word “carnival” originates from the Latin phrase, carnem levāre, which refers to the putting away of meat and other rich foods for Lent. Its roots reach back to the Ancient Roman celebrations of Saturnalia, when the social order was reversed and punishment suspended and Lupercalia, when Rome was cleansed of evil spirits, releasing health and fertility at the beginning of spring. The beginning of six weeks of penitence and self-denial offered the perfect opportunity for the Roman Catholic Church to incorporate these irrepressible celebrations of indulgence and excess into their calendar, and they have been further blended with indigenous American and African traditions in the New World to spectacular effect.

Carnival in Rio

The most famous in the world is, of course, Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. There are five magnificent parades at the Sambadrome, where groups from the samba schools, in their extravagant costumes on elaborate floats, compete for prestigious prizes. There are scores masquerade balls, themed balls, and costume balls. And there are open-air dances and boisterous street parties where blocos, or neighborhood percussion or music groups, parade through the streets accompanied by their entourage of revelers.

To get an idea of the scope of the Rio Carnival, check out Rio Carnival Services. This website offers total immersion in the event. Besides hotel bookings and show tickets, they offer costumes for purchase, and you can even download Samba School songs to learn so you can really join in all the fun. Start making plans for next year, or just enjoy the many photos and detailed descriptions of all the events.

Diverse musical genres of Bahia

Bahia is a state in Northeastern Brazil that has some different Carnival traditions, including distinct styles of music. Whereas Rio and São Paulo are all about Samba groups, Bahia’s styles are more diversified:

• Afoxês are rhythm-based groups associated with the African-derived Condomblé religion.

• Trios Eléctricos were developed in the 1950s, and the term refers to trucks loaded with huge speakers blasting the axé musical genre that originated from this region.

• Amerindian groups are said to have been inspired by Western flicks from the United States, with Native American names and dress becoming romanticized.

• Other inspiration from the north has resulted in the Blocos Afros, who were influenced by the Black Pride Movement as well as movements in Africa and reggae music in its denouncement of racial oppression.

As these musical genres indicate, Carnival in Bahia has been more of an expression of social status. In fact, for many years it was an uprising of the black population against the status quo, as the white elites were horrified by and tried to ban what they saw as “primitive” drumming and dancing in the streets, but to no avail.

Farther north and east, the state of Pernambuco has yet another unique way of celebrating Carnival. Two traditions are found here:

• Frevo is accompanied by a distinctive, fast-paced, acrobatic type of dance that evolved from the fighting style of capoeira

• Maracatu is a performance group involving impressive drumming, a singing chorus, dancers, stock characters that include the king and queen, the African traditional calunga doll, Afro-Brazilian Condomblé, and mockery of the baroque Portuguese royal court.

The festivities in Pernambuco go on for some two weeks.

Elsewhere in Brazil

Carnival in São Paulo is very similar to that of Rio de Janeiro, except that the parades take place in the city’s Sambadrome on Friday and Saturday rather than on Sunday and Monday.

Other important carnival centers in Brazil include the historic colonial city of Ouro Preto, Florianópolis, and Porto Alegre.

Stay tuned for more Latin American Carnival traditions tomorrow.

[images via Wikipedia]

Julie R Butler is a writer, journalist, editor, and author of several books, including Nine Months in Uruguay and No Stranger To Strange Lands (click here for more info). She is a contributor to Speakout at Truthout.org, and her current blog is Connectively Speaking

email: julierbutler [at] yahoo [dot] com, Twitter: @JulieRButler